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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25705834">We are warriors.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleNiffler2020/pseuds/LittleNiffler2020'>LittleNiffler2020</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Comedy, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Minor Character Death, Multi, Protectiveness, Supernatural Elements, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:47:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,168</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25705834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleNiffler2020/pseuds/LittleNiffler2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Park Min-young didn't believe in the other side. She had always been a child of logic, trying to debunk the supernatural and things that go bump in the night because in her mind, everything had an explanation. Facts were her best friends. As Min-young got older, there was only one thing that managed to defy all logical reasoning. A house built to hold pure evil within it's red brick walls.</p><p>If someone would have told her earlier that she would be standing in front of the old Victorian house from her nightmares, she would have laughed it off. Maybe even punched them for bringing it up. </p><p>So, you can imagine how upset she was to be standing before the metal gates, package in hand. Her name beautifully written across the top in black sharpie, and an address printed on the back. An address that was definitely not her own.</p><p>The metal gates swung open on their own causing the young women to sigh. "I guess it's finally time to meet the neighbors."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>ATEEZ Ensemble/Reader, Choi Jongho/Reader, Choi San/Reader, Jeong Yunho/Reader, Jung Wooyoung/Reader, Kang Yeosang/Reader, Kim Hongjoong/Reader, Park Seonghwa/Reader, Reverseharem-relationship, Song Mingi/Reader, polyamory-relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Delivery for Min young (Edited)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Alright~! For those who have read this story I would recommend rereading it. I've changed some important things and added a lot to the main plot line.</p><p>~~~~~~~~<br/>This is my first posting on this website and i'm low key kinda scared. Uploads will be slow since I am a college student but I do hope to post at least once a week. Its gonna be a slow burn so don't expect a lot of love from the start. Also I do not own anything but the plot and the original characters. There is cursing, be careful. You have been warned.</p><p>I do hope you enjoy. Please leave comments if your reading this. I actually have a small obsession with reading and/or replying to everyone that comments on my story's. So, don't be shy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Nature is a haunted house, but art is a house that tries to be haunted.” - Emily Dickinson</p><p>There was always something wrong with that house.</p><p>Mother taught me not to judge a book by its cover but it was so hard not to when the family inside lived in isolation, not once stepping out during the time that I resided next door. The local kids told ghost stories about the place but I’ve never been one to believe in things that can’t be explained. However, It didn’t help that sometimes if you really listened close, you could hear cries from within the walls, begging to be helped. My naive mind believed that it was some kind of princess waiting to be saved by a knight, this theory being more plausible than the ones other kids told. That knight in shining armor being myself, but I was much too frightened of what could possibly be keeping her stuck in that horrid place. </p><p>The house itself used to enrapture me as a child, The oddly shaped structure similar to a newly built dollhouse or even better, a castle waiting to be explored. The walls were covered in elaborate white scalloped shingles that reminded me of scales off of a mermaids tail, each wooden piece glowing almost ominous in the moonlight. Along the sides of the house, vines emerged and crawled their way towards the first-floor windows, the tendrils closely resembling pictures I had seen before of tentacles surfacing out the deep dark ocean to grab and swallow unsuspecting ships. Breathtaking hexagonal-shaped towers materialized from the steep wine-red roofing, each of the six sides holding a dainty circular window decorated with swirls of pure gold. The building was large and imposing compared to the other houses that occupied our street, there also seemed to be a porch that wrapped around the entire structure. However, I was never able to confirm this detail because the gates out front were always closed to visitors unless you were buzzed in personally. Surrounding the plot of land was a seven-foot red-brick wall, arrows of iron sitting at the top with sharpened tips. Most would never look past the towering barrier and I think that was the reason for having it there. To keep the parents unsuspecting while also luring the young ones away. After all, curiosity was what killed the cat and children were full of that never-ending need to explore. Littered across the lush green grass in their front yard were flowers. To me and the other young inhabitants on the street, the colorful yard resembled that of a sprinkled cake, all the more inviting to our innocent eyes. I had seen some of my friends slip past those barred iron gates, waving for me to follow but I never did. </p><p>I can blame my grandmother for this. She was never fond of gated areas, going on and on about how they were only ever made to keep something in or keep something out. It was safe to say that this small statement never quite left my mind even as I got older.</p><p>While I lived at my grandmother's house, she would tell me stories about the three-story victorian lot next door. They were odd tales that amused me for the time being but never quite struck my mind as true, I can still hear her voice telling me how one day I would come back when I was older and probably grumpier to find my own story. I laughed this off much like many of the other “prophecies” she had made in the past. As my age reached double digits my mind changed as did how I looked at these little bedtime tales. I and my mom considered getting her tested for dementia or even Alzheimers, I didn’t know what either of these things were at the time but my mom reasoned that it might be why grams was seeing things that weren’t there. Many of the neighbors had heard about what my mother was planning and shunned her, believing that she was doing it for some alternative motive. But as someone living alongside the older woman and being her only confidant she saw worthy to tell those little tales too, I can say 100 percent that it wasn't as far-fetched as most may think, you see, the things she claimed she saw were crazy. Absolutely fucking insane. Glowing eyes peeking past the curtains with wide toothy grins and men that transformed into beasts at night during the full moon. Who in their right mind would believe that? Maybe I would’ve humored her had I known what was to come just a couple of years later.</p><p>I had just turned 14 when things started changing for the worse. I mean, we had seen some small details overtime that were concerning but nothing quite as obvious as when I reached this age. It began with her speech patterns. We would catch her rambling by herself at odd times in the night and during the day it was almost as if her mind just wasn’t there. Bright cornflower eyes, the same shade that I had inherited, slowly started to fade to a dull grey as weeks passed into months. Grams’ thin pruney fingers would constantly twitch around whatever object she was holding and sometimes if we slipped the item from her grasp she would hold the position as if it was still there. When she had her better days, which were few and far between, we kept our worries to ourselves. Grams knew how bad she had gotten over the years, her cranberry juice stained lips constantly pulled into an almost painfully thin smile when she thought someone was looking her way. I tried to help as much as I could when my mom was away but these smiles always made me feel like I was doing more harm than anything else. It was hard ignoring the fact that these small activities were something she used to be able to do daily without any kind of assistance. When walking became an unbearable task for her body, mom purchased a rocking chair. She claimed that she had just found it at some odd garage sale but I knew better. It was beautiful. The chair was red-stained cherry wood, intricate peonies carved up the back and on the armrests. It was placed towards the east side of the house next to a window that was in direct view of the white wooden mystery next door and that’s where she would stay for hours on end, just watching. Twitching…</p><p>Grandma would sit at the grimy stained window staring off into the night for hours until someone pleaded for her to rest in her actual bed or she moved. Sometimes… not very often, she would pray, eyes glistening in the ill-lit sitting room with tears slowly rolling down her wrinkled-pale cheeks. On those nights, I would quietly watch from the hallway, waiting for her to finish so that I could help her to bed. It was hard to watch someone you love slowly lose themselves to their own mind. She was trying to protect us from something that she had created and believed to be true, much like the bedtime stories she used to tell me as a child. I told my mother of my worries but kept the greatest detail to myself. She was already stressed about how much the bills were going to cost and I felt like this detail was just something she would brush aside, much like most of the things I brought up in her presence. The way my name fell from grams’ lips like a sad song, begging, and pleading whatever was out there to not take me away always left me feeling rather blue.</p><p>She had lived 3 years like this, before passing a week after Christmas. The doctors said that the increasingly cold weather may have played a part in her stroke but I think grams planned it. She had passed in her sleep but I remember that day vividly for the specific reason that she just looked so tired. Dark purple bags resting under those murky gray eyes and lips no longer having the energy to hold a smile that we all knew was fake. I hadn’t heard her voice that day at all and now that she’s gone, I found myself hoping that she would’ve returned my “I love you” before going to bed. She left me with a hug before disappearing behind the off-white door. I had thought it was odd that she initiated the contact because as of late, affection had left her looking so sad. God… I should’ve known.</p><p>The empty house was given to my mother who in turn gave it to me for the future. I was a teenager at the time, only a couple of months away from graduating and moving on with my life. And now, with the house fully paid for and in my possession, I had somewhere to go after everything settled. Mom wanted nothing to do with the property but also didn’t want to sell it in fear of giving up what could possibly have been the last memory of grams. I understood why, That was where she was born and raised, after all. The house itself seemed to tell the story of my family, from the height markings on the door frame, to the small holes in the wall where my mom used to nail her posters as a teenager. It was all still there and it would stay till I decided that faded photos and old memories were enough to keep my grandmother's spirit alive. That would be when I would finally sell the house and not think about the regret of losing something so precious.</p><p>We left soon after my graduation, the funeral had long since passed and my mother was growing restless. I wished to stay because unlike my mother, I knew nothing past the woods that surrounded our town but I ended up relenting after realizing that I would be alone in the house. My mother was a strength to be reckoned with. Grams once told me that my mom was much like my grandfather, too headstrong and prideful to show what they were feeling. I had assumed before-hand that she was wired this way from her being in the military while in America. She didn’t stay long but she had gone through the intense boot camp training and academy. That was when she had met my father and threw everything into the wind. Sadly, this didn’t last long either. Once their fairytale was over she returned to my grandmother… to this house with a swollen stomach, broken heart, and red-rimmed eyes. I’m not very fond of this subject so I’ll spare the details. We packed our things away and left the fairy tales, grandma, and that godforsaken doll-like house behind.</p><p>I think mom had tales of her own about the horror next door. She had never spoken of displeasure towards the home until the day of our departure. The weather was cold and I could vaguely remember asking if I should say goodbye to the few neighbors we were close to. She agreed but on one condition, I stayed away from the red-brick walls. At first, I hadn’t thought anything of it, simply agreeing without a second thought. But later, when the roads were all I had to look at, her request struck me once more. Mother was always hard to talk to, her cold exterior and bluntness off-putting for most people. But as I sat in the back seat, I recalled the look in her hazel eyes. It wasn’t an expression I was used to seeing across her face. Those hues locked on the darkened windows covered in red silk with nothing but a fierce need to protect and hold onto what was important to her. nude-colored lips seemed to almost pull back into a snarl, sharp canines on full display for all to see. I expected some kind of explanation later but unlike my grandmother, mom didn’t feel comfortable voicing her concerns to me or anyone else.</p><p>Time passed rather quickly, I went to a good university and got my psychology degree. Everything was well. Mom even found a pretty badass man that knows how to take care of a woman properly. I never met the guy but that was mainly because after leaving our small town, the already failed mother-daughter relationship we had just shattered. She wasn’t used to being the main caregiver seeing as my grandmother had basically raised me while she went off for work. I’m not saying she’s a bad mother. She still paid for my food and held me close to her chest on stormy nights, we just never connected as we should have. Anyway, I met a lot of people during my time at university but only two managed to stick. They were best friends, lovers and some might even say that they would have been soulmates had it been a real thing. But most importantly, they were my security blanket when I needed to escape from the harsh reality.</p><p>It was hard being in your twenties and not having anything relatively close to what they had. When I was young, it’s all I ever wished for on Christmas. Someone to pop into my life claiming to be my equal, gender and looks didn’t matter. I just wanted someone to hold my hand on cold days or sing me to sleep when I was shaken by a nightmare. I guess this is what led to the intense party and hangover I had on my 21st birthday.</p><p>Sunmi and chungha hadn’t started dating yet, so much like myself, sunmi was searching for love at these frat parties. By the next morning, I had a small list of things I accomplished overnight, I drank a lot and partied harder than I ever had in my life as well as lost my virginity. Things I could now scratch off my bucket list. This small mental checklist was all done while still laying across the wrinkled sheets of some stranger's bed. God, getting up after that extravaganza was a disaster and only got worse when I realized that not only was I sharing the bed with one person but two. One was a nameless frat boy and the other a curvy cheerleader that I remember flirting with at some point in the night. When I first felt the pain against my neck, I had assumed that one of the two had a thing for biting. Only to realize halfway through brushing my teeth that It was most definitely not anything having to do with my eventful night. My mom was going to kill me.</p><p>The tattoo was in the oddest of locations, right where my neck met my shoulder also known as the trapezius and seemed to be brand frickin new. The area surrounding the ink was irritated and bright red against my tan skin tone.</p><p>In all honesty, I wasn’t that upset. Whoever had done it was incredibly talented. The tattoo was circular and about the size of a baseball. Inside the first circle was another but this one was thicker and connecting the two shapes were little blacked-out squares. One of the squares towards the bottom had a key shape in it. Within this incredibly well thought out border was an hourglass similar to the time turner from harry potter. The top hourglass piece holding an eight-pronged star, the bottom was empty. Finally, there were two loosely drawn ovals, one going horizontal and the other vertical. When I had first seen the masterpiece inked across my skin, I was in awe. What I wasn’t expecting was the reaction said tattoo would get from my friends. They seemed...worried? Scared? Nervous? I was never quite able to decipher the emotion on their faces but whatever it was was definitely not a positive.</p><p>As time was swept away I grew tired of being stared at by the two people I cared about the most. I just wanted them to accept the damn thing as I had. It was petty of me to get another tattoo just to spite them but at the time, all I could think of was their negative words towards the first one. However, despite my terrible choice to stain my skin some more, I did understand that pain was a big factor when doing these kinds of things. I started small. Before my mother completely dropped from the military she had wanted to be a navy seal, much like my father. To honor the man who I had never met yet had helped create me, I got a small anchor on my left ankle. The tattoo artist I had gone to almost laughed when I walked and told him straight-up how prepared I was to thoroughly fuck up my life. Poor guy even offered a discount if I came back. I quietly watched the needle prick my skin over and over again, expecting some kind of intense pain or uncomfortable itching but got neither.</p><p>This time I expected something different seeing that the two had started dating and had mellowed out a lot since the first one had appeared, But when I got no reaction from the duo known as my “incredible” friends, I decided to test my pain tolerance once more. It was a long appointment and left a dent in my savings but the end result was so worth it. Grams would have been proud. The masterpiece that went from my left ankle up to my upper thigh and down my right arm were peonies. They were her favorite because they meant compassion and honor. Most people would overlook these underrated beauties for the specific reason that they weren’t roses or cherry blossoms. They were just...peonies. It didn’t matter what others thought about them, as long as they continued to grow they would continue to be mine and my grandma’s favorite. It was at this point that I decided to stop my visits to the tattoo parlor before it became an addiction. Sunmi and chungha never commented on the hourglass tattoo again in fear that I would go straight back and get something that would properly ruin my life for real. I probably wouldn’t have but they didn’t need to know that.</p><p>Once we had all managed to pass the monumental step known as college, we moved back in with my mom. The house she had bought was never really used because her boyfriend's job included a lot of traveling, so it was all ours for the most part. That’s where we stayed just trying to find our place in a world among smarter and stronger people. I had just begun to grow tired of my desk job when sunmi had given us the news. It was odd that she would choose my town over all of the offers she was given but I never commented on it. Perhaps there was a logical reason.</p><p>My mother didn’t react to us moving out. Our meetings had gone from weekly calls to monthly to nothing at all, so it was no surprise to me when she had never replied to my message.</p><p>Chungha and sunmi ended up getting a cute little one bedroom, one bathroom apartment near the school, while I moved back into grams’ place towards the more rich side of town. The first week was a disaster. Gram’s was a woman stuck in the old times, meaning that I was left to modernize the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. It took a long while and a lot of late nights but in the end, I was happy with the results. That was until I noticed the repulsive queen Anne Victorian house next door. The almost obnoxiously large windows glaring down at me like I was just a weed compared to the other people living in the area. Perhaps It could smell my distaste.</p><p>Nothing had changed about the mysterious neighbor's home beside the flowers that used to decorate the lawn. Mixed beauties now completely wiped clean and replaced by crimson roses that slowly bled with each petal into the earth. I hated it. Absolutely despised anything that had to do with what was behind those prison walls.</p><p>On a better note, Chungha managed to get a job at the local kindergarten rather quickly, running amongst the kids with a bright smile and soft encouragement. Sometimes I would catch the sad look in her eye when she would speak of them so fondly. Before dating sunmi she had been with a close friend for over three years and had a pregnancy scare. We went to all of the appointments together, including the one that inevitably led to her break up. It was never mentioned to anyone outside our friend circle but in all honesty, being there as support when the doctor informed her of her possible infertility was probably the hardest thing I had gone through since grams death.</p><p>Sunmi ended up being a theater teacher at the high school, pushing younger kids to do what had been her dream for so long, to be a singer. She still did little shows for us if we begged but most of the time, It led to her drinking too much and crying over the old days where we would compete for trophies at any dance competition that could fit in our schedule. Out of the three of us, she had the most potential and I could tell that it hurt deeply when her parents told her to switch career paths. </p><p>Both had given up on their dreams but never quite gave up. Their job choices being proof that the duo held strong. One took care of kids like they were her own and the other inspiring teenagers to pursue the life they had dreamed of even if their parents disapproved. I worked as a psychologist at one of the local offices and sometimes, if the situation was dire, worked alongside the police. We were all good, not perfect but content. That’s all that mattered.</p><p>The girls knew of my slight fear towards the fairytale-like home before we even moved back and I had managed two years of never stepping across the border that separated my house from theirs. It was safe to say that I had become acquainted with everyone on my street at this point but especially with the little lady across the way. She had a head full of platinum curls that just barely brushed her shoulders and eyes as blue as the sky above. Eun-Jung, I had memorized her name the very first day, was always wearing floral pattern dresses that seemed to dwarf her petite form and baby pink crocs with small red heart charms scattered across the front. It was cute and refreshing compared to the snobs that lived around the area. Tea times, as she loved to call them, became a regular between us, and sometimes if we didn’t want to visit family on the holidays I and the girls would spend them with her. She was a breath of fresh air in this oddly ominous town.</p><p>I think the reason we connected so quickly was because she was much like my grandmother before the symptoms became apparent. She was a superstitious woman who had a small interest in conspiracy theories. Telling tales of monsters walking among us. She claimed that there was even a secret society of people who could see the difference and used this to fight back. As odd as it was, in her eyes, I was one of those people. I just didn’t know it yet.</p><p>Another thing they did similarly was praying for my safety. It started off as her saying a small prayer under her breath when stepping into a new room and slowly became a common thing to say before tea or meals. At first, it was a bit nerve-racking but behind the anxiousness, some part of me quite liked the concern she held for my well-being. Chungha jokingly said one time that Eun-Jung was like my guardian angel and I should be glad that at least one of my friends believed in god. I couldn't agree more.</p><p>Nana, a nickname I had fondly bestowed on her, was also the only other person that believed something very wrong was going on behind that red-brick wall. Oftentimes, She would remind me to steer clear of its gated property and to never look into the windows lest I make eye contact with something hidden within. She feared for my safety over everyone else’s. I had found it odd seeing that chungha had walked past the house many times and never got any kind of warning but I wasn’t even allowed to look. Eun-Jung claimed that the house wanted me specifically but never gave any kind of reason, no matter how much I pushed the subject or begged. Whatever it was couldn’t have been good because the look she got when glaring down the victorian lot resembled the same look my grandmother got during her late-night praying sessions. Eyes sunken and cloudy with despair.</p><p>There was actually one other thing that had changed about the home. That was that every Wednesday since I had arrived girls would line up outside, downed in fabrics of luxury and pearls created by mother nature herself. I never tried to understand their reasoning, instead choosing to watch from my porch much like Eun-jung. Heels that resemble weapons clacked down the streets early in the morning and one by one, girls would disappear past the gates. No one ever stayed long, oftentimes leaving an hour or two later with furrowed brows and pouting lips. One day, I allowed my curiosity to get the best of me and pulled one of the frequent visitors to the side. The young brunette was dressed in various shades of pink, her locks pulled into some kind of complicated updo that I would never be able to replicate. When I had asked what was so special about the house on Wednesdays she replied that she didn’t know. It wasn’t that she was being secretive, the young girl was just physically incapable of telling me anything about the past two hours. Only knowing that whatever happened had left her feeling less stressed than she had felt in a long time and that no matter the weather, she would always find herself coming back. I knew that I should’ve been concerned but seeing that the cops had never shown up, I assumed that they already knew and couldn’t do anything. And as much as it made feel like a bad person, it was really fucking amusing to watch some of the females leave in such a dramatic way.</p><p>How often do you see beautiful women stomping down the street like children having a tantrum and threatening to throw shoes at anyone who stared too long. Sometimes the dating duo would stop by and “people watch” with me on the weekends, comparing it to an art gallery. You can look but you can’t touch.</p><p>For two years I watched people come and go. Disappearing past the gates only to reappear completely unscathed and desperate for a second chance. In those two years, I was never acknowledged by the eccentric neighbors nor invited to any of their “sessions”. I thought it was safe to do as I pleased as long as I remained on my plot of land. This was foolish of me to believe. </p><p>The medium-sized black decorative box had shown up on my porch without a single clue as to when it appeared or how long it had been there. A wine-red ribbon was tied beautifully in an intricate little bow on top of the fancy box and a little tag peeked past one of the loops with an address that was definitely not my own. I guess it was time to finally meet the last neighbor on my street.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reality Vs. Illusion (Edited)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Returning a box seemed like a simple job. Just place it on the porch and go... Yeah, apparently nothing is that easy.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know the chapters are short right now but I promise that they will slowly get longer. The first few chapters are always the hardest for me since I'm constantly rereading them because I only want the best for the readers. Welp, that's it. Hope you enjoy~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“If the living are haunted by the dead, then the dead are haunted by their own mistakes.” -Chuck Palahnuik</p><p>It was way too early to be dealing with this kind of situation. I should be sleeping in my memory foam bed dreaming about fatty foods and expensive alcoholic beverages that I couldn’t pay for, not borderline mental breakdown over a stupid package that was probably just sent to my house by mistake. To make everything worse, I called my friends who just so happened to be having their morning coffee at the local cafe.</p><p>“So, you’re telling me that some kind of fancy box was sent to your address and you didn’t open it or even take a peek at what was inside?” The blonde-haired beauty I had the pleasure of calling a close friend, sounded genuinely upset with my choice to keep the contents of the box a mystery. I had a feeling that if she was here, she would have ripped the package wide open the second it appeared. Honestly, Sunmi’s curiosity was something to marvel at and fear. She would be the type of girl in every horror movie that would make the amazing decision to go towards the scary sound, instead of walking away.</p><p>I had been pacing around the rectangular dining room table for close to an hour now, the box placed delicately in the middle of my grandmother's floral embroidered tablecloth like some kind of expensive china vase only for admiring. The black and red looked so out of place in my home, compared to the cream and white-colored furniture I had bought when first moving here but never planned on using. I’m pretty sure that whatever was inside the package cost more than my entire education, which was saying a lot from someone who went to a high-class university for several semesters.</p><p>Unlike her curiosity-driven girlfriend, chungha was in the same boat as I was. Her voice losing that soft, smooth tone that the kids liked so much and slowly starting to closely resemble one of a terrified parent being told that their child was sick. It was safe to say that if she was here, that box would’ve been chunked into the closest body of water she could find or turned into a bonfire. </p><p>They were going absolutely crazy. One was hysterically firing questions faster than I could ever hope to comprehend, while the other was trying to coax me into unraveling the nicely tied ribbon to see what lay inside the brand name box. Did I mention that before? Yeah, across the top of the box in gold lettering read “Givenchy Paris”. A brand name that I knew for a fact was expensive as hell. </p><p>Both girls were doing little good at keeping calm. What little sanity I had left slowly dropping with each theory they came up with. My stress levels continued to rise with every question from chungha and push from sunmi to do something, anything with the box residing in my house. It was as if they thought I had purposefully tried to get the attention of my neighbor, something that I had steered clear of for a full two years. There wasn’t any knock on my door or ring of the doorbell to inform me of this surprise, just a box with an address. With both of my friends going off into their own argument, I found myself stuck talking to the empty house I resided in. </p><p>“I should just bring it to the door or even better, leave it on the porch like the mailman was supposed to do. Yeah, that's an absolutely marvelous idea. That’s what neighbors do, right? Be helpful and shit.” I cut my rambling session to a close and reached for the box, the phone still in hand and eyes wide with apprehension. Light pink painted fingernails had just barely touched the edge when a collection of loud screeches from my speaker had me stumbling back and colliding with the marble countertops separating the kitchen from the dining room.</p><p>“Are you insane!? You must be! For as smart as you are Min-young, you are always doing such incredibly stupid things! This is THE house from your nightmares. What if they lock you in!? Or worse! Put you in the basement and-!” Chungha was firmly stopped by a manicured hand across the mouth, Loud whines slipping out as she continued to ramble, facial expressions changing and eyebrows furrowing with each insult. My brunette friend was completely unaware of the looks she was getting from the other people in the booth behind them. The stranger's eyes obviously judging the duo. If she knew what kind of disturbance this episode was causing, she’d probably stop but I wasn’t about to say anything about it. After all, the amusing scene allowed my mind to venture away from the terrible possibilities stated before. Sunmi sent a quick apologetic smile to the other occupants of their favorite cafe before spinning around to give me her semi-undivided attention.</p><p>“Stop worrying so much. You are a strong independent woman who could probably kick anyone’s ass at a dance battle if pushed hard enough-”. The hand was roughly ripped from chunghas mouth.</p><p>“You did not just say that?!”</p><p>“What, it’s true! Anyways, what I was trying to say before being rudely interrupted by my lovely girlfriend was that you got this! Fighting! Also, don’t forget your rape whistle.”</p><p>“Rape whistle!” I and sunmi shared a quick tight-lipped smile before hanging up, afraid that chungha was going to go on another rage-induced rant. However, the second the video call was stopped and screen flipped to black, the thoughts came back like flies to a rotting corpse.</p><p>Everything was going to be okay. Absolutely fine. Peachy even!</p><p>Cauliflower eyes settled on the window grams used to sit at, the large red-brick barrier was only a couple feet from our home. I could probably touch both the wall and our house with the tips of my fingers if I stretched hard enough and if you looked up, the house's top floor could be seen just over the iron arrows. It looked even large and more threatening now after hearing chungha’s crazy talk.</p><p>Come on, Min-young! You're a logical person. Stop thinking about the “what if’s”.</p><p>Every muscle in my body stiffened when something...No, think logically… A figure ran past the only visible window from this side of the house. I could faintly hear chungha’s rambling alongside my grandmothers in the back of my mind, but just barely over the loud beating of a heart that I stubbornly refused to believe was my own.</p><p>It's official. I’m going to die.</p><p>My eyes stayed glued to the spot, waiting for something… anything else to happen. When nothing peeked past the curtains I stepped away from the window and out of view, the air finally leaving my lungs in the form of a heavy sigh. The phone was still clutched in my hand, fingers turning pink from the force. I’m surprised the object hadn’t cracked under all of the pressure. Finally, I settled my gaze on the cursed item.</p><p>Well, this package wasn’t going to grow legs and walk itself out, as much as I hoped it would. </p><p>With another begrudgingly long sigh, I got ready for the day. The box had shown up at seven in the morning, around the exact same time that I checked the mail every day. Whoever placed it there didn’t think about the possible accidents it could cause. My shoulders tensed when I recalled nearly falling off my porch while trying to avoid the obstacle, an embarrassingly loud yelp echoing throughout the empty street as my body tumbled into the wooden railing next to the stairs. Someone probably caught it on camera, now that I think about it.</p><p>I did my usual morning routine and traded my pajama shorts and tank top for an oversized light pink sweater that dwarfed my 5’2 form completely, a pair of black leggings that clung to the curves I didn’t want, and old black converse. I’m quite sure that the girls would have had my ass for wearing something so oversized and unflattering but I didn’t care. I saw no point in dressing up since it was quite apparent that I wasn’t staying over, no matter how nice the neighbors seemed.</p><p>The obsidian box mocked me from the table, the fancy gold lettering reminding me that I would never be able to pay for something even half as expensive, not even a knock off. The only reason I was living here was because my grandmother was a queen at saving and understood just how much a house like this one would cost. She had given it to us, I knew this but it didn’t help to make me feel any less like I was playing pretend. With a growl of annoyance, I reached for the package once more but found myself stopping a mere inch away, waiting for something to happen. Every cell in my body wanted to rip the damn thing to shreds and forget it ever got here but my mind wanted to wait. Maybe it’ll explode or something will slither out and yank me forward. Chungha had my mind running laps, possibility after possibility crashing like waves on a stormy night. So, I waited…</p><p>And waited…</p><p>When nothing happened, I laughed. It wasn’t that light airy laugh that you would expect from a petite woman like myself but something almost unsettling. The kind of hysterics that had you questioning just how sane the person in question was. By the end of the giggling session, my eyes were tearing up and my face felt uncomfortably hot. If only my mother was here to see me now. Her only daughter slowly dropping into madness. What a disappointment.</p><p>With hands still shaking from adrenaline, I grabbed the box off the clothed table and made my way to the door, body slowly swaying in an odd fashion. It was at this moment that I wondered if the crazy smile was still stretched across my lips or if you could see the mania in my blue eyes. Perhaps, I was going crazy.</p><p>A mirror was situated on top of the fireplace in the living room, something my grandmother had put up when she first moved in. I didn’t have the heart to take it down and funnily enough, I found myself using it quite often for moments like this one.</p><p>With a pathetic moan, I moved closer to the reflective surface.</p><p>I never liked mirrors. There was the obvious reason and the not-so-obvious. The main one was that I never liked how I looked. My mind seemed to wander to places that I wasn’t very fond of. Why couldn’t I be blonde like my father or have clear skin like my mom? Why was I too plain for some people and yet, too strange and different for others? Why couldn’t they just be happy with the way I was?</p><p>In Korea, I looked out of place, almost foreign. Which was rather funny because this is where I was born and raised. I mean, If you didn’t look too hard into the details, there was a possibility of blending into the crowds but some people just liked to stare and nit-pick. I had inherited my mother's inky black hair, the locks falling in long calm waves to my elbows with tips curling inwards at the ends, no bangs or cute curly-ques. There was a small button-like nose centered in the middle of my face that the girls liked to boop if they were feeling playful and underneath, small doll-like lips that had an annoyingly persistent curve at the corners that sunmi noted, made me look rather inviting from a distance. Definitely not what a partial introvert wants to hear. Much like chungha, I had a rather narrowed eye shape much like a cat, something the brunette liked to fangirl over any chance she got. I think she just liked the fact that people often mistook us for siblings. I never minded because it kept her happy, which in turn kept sunmi happy. However, after this feature, everything was just...wrong.</p><p>Bright cornflower eyes glared back at me through the mirror, the color reminiscent of my grandmother’s hues before they faded. Across my slightly tanned skin were cocoa-colored freckles that had scattered across my cheeks and nose like paint splatter on a canvas or stars in the night sky. My family wasn’t really sure where they came from because mom was adamant they hadn’t come from the baby daddy and grams didn’t recall anyone from our side of the family having the persistent little dots. On a better note, they did hide any kind of acne that appeared when I became stressed or blemishes that had just refused to leave after high school. And finally the worst...curves. I try to jog regularly but it’s so hard with everything bouncing! How do you people do it!? Like, Why do you have to make it so difficult for me!</p><p>I rolled my eyes and stepped away before I did something stupid, like contemplate surgically removing the damn things. However, this small change of view led to my less-obvious reason for hating mirrors to pop up. It was something my grandmother had pointed out during one of those rambling sessions. Mom told me not to think about it because it was the mutters of a crazy person but it was so hard to ignore after finally contemplating her words.</p><p>They were family tales, passed down from generation to generation. My mom was supposed to tell me the ghost story but never did because she herself feared mirrors just as much as my grandmother did. One story was just about mirrors in general that hit me at moments like this, when I was stuck staring at my reflection. But the other was for the late hours when all the lights were out and the cold nipped at any exposed skin. There was the obvious tale about breaking a mirror and losing seven years of your life but then, there was another. This one was darker and I’m glad that she hadn’t gotten too much into detail. The basic story was that if you looked into the reflective object long enough without blinking you could see things change and move behind you or if you were “lucky”, even see the spirit of someone trapped in the mirror realm. This one was easily debunked as either eye strain or oscillopsia.</p><p>However, the other one was a bit more… unpleasant. It was that if you sat in a room with lights off with your hand against the cold glass, you could feel it freeze up but in an odd way. It would start off as a small tickle and slowly build up to cover the entirety of your hand like frost from the glass windows. She had stated with those murky eyes locked on my own that it was the family guardian reaching out to keep you warm and that it could only come out in the dark. The seriousness in her voice had me shrinking away. And now, it left me with a permanent fear of possibly confronting said “guardian”.</p><p>Without looking back, I trampled my way to the door, pushing these unsettling thoughts and stories to the back of my mind.</p><p>The box felt heavy in my grasp as I stepped out of my safe haven, sending a quick smile to Eun-Jung who had just slipped out to grab her mail. Our usual “tea time” table on her porch was covered in knitting supplies and unfinished blankets. She didn’t stay out long, the air was getting chilly and left the older women with little to-do outside without catching a cold. So, with a carefree smile sent my way, she disappeared into the warmth of her home.</p><p>My legs became stiffer and stiffer as I ventured towards the edge of my property and the beginning of theirs. I stopped right at the edge and stared down at the simple crack that meant a lot more to me than others. One step away from unknown territory.</p><p>The difference between our sides was almost sad to look at. While my side had bits of wildflowers that I refused to pull and weeds that seemed to squirm their way into the cracks of the sidewalk, they had their side nicely kept in check. Perfect sidewalk and almost artificial-looking grass. I couldn’t help but note that it was the type of house you would see in an ad brochure for vacation homes. Not a blade out of place. God, it even rhymes.</p><p>I pushed onward. My feet halted at the slightly rusted gate and I thought about leaving the package there. But what if someone else took it. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to steal a brand name package left right next to the street. Why did I have to be such a worrywart all the time? With nerves of steel, I found myself reaching a shaky finger towards the visitor button. It was a good thing no one was driving by or else I would have been hit because not a second later my body was throwing itself into the street and away from the swinging door. I didn’t move, scared shitless for the specific reason that my index finger hadn’t even pushed the button yet. The hand that I had bravely reached out was now clutched to my chest like some kind of wounded animal, eyes locked solely on the large blood-red door while trying hard to not pass out right here and now. It was so tempting. Especially, seeing that I now understood why every bone in my body was locked in place and why bumps had formed on my covered arms. Someone was watching me from inside the house.</p><p>With a quick encouragement and poorly worded prayer, I stepped past the gate and into open waters. God, was it possible to hate a location as much as I did right now?</p><p>Nothing about this place was right. I felt like Alice after falling down the rabbit hole and gaining a concussion in the process. Everything felt so...fake, as if someone had spent their entire life planning how to make everything as artificial as possible to avoid the dirt and grime that came with organic substances. The perfectness was probably what lured the girls back over and over again every Wednesday, now that I think about it. Hedges covered both sides of the walkway, blocking any visitors from going anywhere but forward and backward lest you get scratched by the thorns. What would have been beautiful crimson roses had they not been an incredible realistic imitation, danced across the hedges, and intermingled with the bright green leaves. The thorns I spoke of before were almost invisible unless you were looking for them specifically. And a small part of me wondered how many girls had unknowingly brushed against these little barbs to reach the flowers. The concrete slabs made my footsteps seem even louder in my ears as I got closer to the door, heart pounding and eyes starting to tear-up with how intense the feeling of being watched had become. I didn’t look up in fear of seeing someone peek through the crimson fabric-covered windows.</p><p>Eyes down and feet forward. You’ll be fine just like sunmi said. Logically speaking, if someone were to try and grab me all I would need to do is yell and grab a passerby’s attention outside the walls. The question was would they actually do anything. That’s the part that bothered me, how untrustworthy people became while under stress in a panicked situation. I guess I’ll just have to hope that they’ll challenge me to a dance battle.</p><p>My lips quirked up slightly at the thought. Gotta love sunmi’s humor.</p><p>I moved onto the first porch step and bent forward, now feeling slightly better about the situation, and allowed the package to slide from my hand to the perfect wood. Once the weight was gone, so was my fight instinct. There’s no way in hell someone is gonna outright challenge me to a dance battle, the bitch is gonna think I’m stupid. God, help me.</p><p>My body moved subconsciously towards the only exit as if it could feel the air surrounding the ominous house. I hadn’t gotten very far, my feet just barely making contact with the concrete once more when I heard it.</p><p>The click of a front door opening.</p><p>That simple sound was all it took for my flight instincts to hit full-force. The confident stroll I had planned beforehand turned into a speed walk, something I hadn’t done since people-dodging in highschool. Fancy shoes clicked against the wooden steps loudly from behind as they clambered towards my retreating figure. The hedges seemed to curl inwards, making it nearly impossible to get through without getting snagged by those incredibly well-veiled thorns. The vines that had been so nicely curled and cut were now creeping out of hiding and whipping angrily at my ankles like snakes trying to catch their prey. Fuck Alice and wonderland, I felt like I had jumped from a kid's book to a full-on horror movie. I didn’t have time to contemplate how illogical this was, my mindset on how close the exit was, and how fast I could get there.</p><p>5 steps</p><p>Something grazed the back of my neck, the hand...object...whatever it was brushing through several locks of obsidian hair. The contact left my skin feeling numb from the frigid touch and goosebumps were quick to form against the area, a heavy shiver quaking through my entire being. Nothing should ever be that cold.</p><p>4 steps</p><p>Even nature itself seemed to be against my leaving. The wind picked up and now savagely lashed around me, forcing long locks of hair to stick to the trail of tears I hadn’t even noticed until now. It was almost impossible to see past the tendrils and leaves that refused to let go of my hair and clothing. The footsteps, which I had been able to hear with how heavy they were, had become terrifyingly quiet. Or perhaps I just couldn’t hear them anymore with the intense whistling and rustling in my ears.</p><p>3 steps</p><p>Once again, mother nature made herself known against my favor. The lovely blue sky turned dark and gloomy in a matter of seconds, sunlight trying its hardest to slip through the cracks to light my way. The closer I got to freedom, the stronger the wind got and more persistent the vines became. Several of the thin creeping plants had wrapped around my ankles, small thorns scratching against my already freezing skin. I have to get away...I refuse to be taken down by something so unreasonable! Where is the logic in this fuckin situation!?</p><p>2 steps</p><p>“Min-young…”</p><p>The whisper that caressed my ear sounded so sad...so miserable. All I wanted to do was return a damn package and this is what I got in return. The mumble happened again and again. A smooth, deep voice becoming increasingly desperate as my fingers grew closer to the iron gate.</p><p>Please...Please, just let me go.</p><p>1 step</p><p>I grasped the door tightly in one hand but stopped when I realized someone's unforgivingly wintry appendage had taken the other. And...I stopped. It was cold...yes, but oh so gentle. My name slipped out once more but this time, something else followed.</p><p>“You must...leave…”</p><p>I wanted to turn to mutter some kind of apology because I knew at this point that I wasn’t the only one being grasped by the angry vines and sharp thorns. One of the legs of my capture could just barely be seen in my peripheral with how close he was, and the navy blue fabric that had probably been pristine before was now ripped beyond repair. His leg was bleeding and several vines had sunk into the lightly tanned skin. They didn’t deserve this...at least, I don't think they did. I was seconds away from turning around to seal my fate when the gate was thrown open and a hand reached out to take my wrist.</p><p>I whipped around in hopes of finding something or someone that could’ve made such a desperate call but I was met with silence and artificial perfection one more. The door was slammed shut before me but I didn’t flinch away. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing or what they weren't seeing. No one was there and nothing had changed. The sky was still blue and the hedges still as fake as ever. But the proof on my body was still present. Crystals continued to cling to my lashes and locks of hair stuck to my flushed cheeks and chapped lips. The cuts seemed to burn even more so now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off. They weren’t incredibly extensive but they were deep enough to bleed rouge onto the white of my converse shoelaces. I could even still feel the touch of the said stranger on my hand, fingertips a waxy-white from the freezing temperature.</p><p>Eun-Jung went to grasp this hand but quickly pulled away with a yelp of surprise. I didn’t question her when she reached for it once more and this time gently wrapped her cute little scarf around the icy appendage. She guided me away from the home that no longer made me feel scared but sorrowful for whoever was stuck inside. Just as I was about to cross the road another whisper slipped through the cracks of the brick wall. My name sounding like a sad lullaby from whoever lay on the other side.</p><p>“I’m so sorry…” The apology I meant to say before slipped from my chapped lips in a similar heartbroken murmur. With each step, the world seemed to spin and blur. My throat felt clogged and my eyes burned relentlessly as I tried to fight off the onslaught of emotions.</p><p>Why…<br/>Why me?</p><p>Finally, the tears started to flow down my flushed cheeks as I was pulled away. Beautiful soft cries seemed to resonate from within the victorian house, slowly becoming quieter whimpers of a wounded animal.</p><p>Grams, I think I found my story.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Kim Cho-hee (Edited)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Min young's job was never known for being easy. She had met her fair share of mentally unstable people but Cho-hee definitely landed herself a spot at the top of the list.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Each night, When I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, When I wake up, I am reborn.” -Mahatma Gandhi</p><p>“I died once, you know.”</p><p>This was definitely not what I had planned when I told Eun-jung that I would “take it easy” at work. After the emotionally tiring morning, I wasn’t prepared for the possibility of Cho-hee having another episode but does anybody actually plan these kinds of things? They just happen. Her parents were waiting quietly in the sitting room with the puppy-like receptionist named Wooyoung, his lips curling into a smile when I had gone out earlier to address the Kim’s. God, he needs to stop doing that. Anyway, it left me to try and understand the young girl and why she was having one of those days. Which leads me to the conversation we are currently having.</p><p>My lips pursed at the odd statement said in such a carefree tone, light pink fingernails willing the wooden clipboard in my hand to bend or break from the force. The young girls’ light brown eyes were unreadable, a black hole that seemed to suck you in with little force. </p><p>Cho-hee was an odd child. At times she gave off the brightest aura I’ve ever seen; huge smiles, flushed cheeks, and giggles flowing from her lips like a river. However, She did have these days where everything with her just seemed off. As if she was physically incapable of returning to that child-like personality everyone knew her for. These are what we, being myself and the Kim’s, called episodes. During these times, I’ve learned to record everything she says, with the permission of the parents of course. She was so… I don’t know. Maybe it’s because of the situation this morning but I wanted to call her alternate persona artificial, almost fake or maybe this was the real Cho-hee and the other was fake... She was barely the age of 7 and recalling knowledge and memories in such detail that it physically frightened the people around her. Today just so happened to be one of those days.</p><p>Normally, I would try to steer the conversation towards a safer subject but I had learned early on that she was much smarter than most presumed her to be. Cho-hee could always see past my plans and tactics as if I was the patient, not her. It was safer to just let her speak her mind.</p><p>“Is that so? How much do you remember from this story?” I kept my voice level, not allowing any kind of genuine emotion or interest to peek past my well-built walls.</p><p>“Memories. They are memories, not stories. You seem to always forget this detail. Is it on purpose? Perhaps, you just want to hear me remind you.” She inhaled loudly, probably trying to calm the anger that had just reared its ugly head for just a second.</p><p>“Anyways, it was a hit and run.-” She portrayed nothing on that innocent face of hers, swatting her hand in the air as if to say that it wasn’t a big deal. When in reality, most would gasp or become genuinely queasy at the thought of dying in such a way. “The man was incompetent and lacked the intelligence quotient… wait, sorry. That's been shortened, hasn’t it? I forget that most people nowadays shorten words because they are lazy idiots. He lacked the IQ to properly maneuver his vehicle around a simple obstacle. I rolled over the car as gracefully as you would expect of a body when being hit by someone going over 90 miles an hour and landed head first onto the burning asphalt. Quite the sight. Blood and bits of skull surrounding my broken, beaten corpse. Now that I really look back on it, I think it happened in front of a group of kids walking home from school. Oof, wonder if they ended up as mentally fucked as I did?”</p><p>I made a hand gesture for her to continue, refusing to answer the rhetorical question. A light, airy hum leaving my throat as a way to stay as nonchalant as possible. I knew that if I spoke up she would notice my doubtful tone and that was something that needed to stay hidden. Even if on the inside I was starting to question just how real these “memories” of hers were. </p><p>Cho-hee let out a single mocking laugh, the loud abrupt noise bringing me back from my thoughts and nearly causing my exhaustion induced shaky hands to fumble and drop my clipboard and pen. The smirk dancing across from her lips was nothing short of deranged, something you would expect from a criminal who deserved to be in prison not a seven-year-old child. Her petite body leaned forward to be closer to my form as if she was going to tell some kind of secret. Unrevealed knowledge that was probably better hidden in her little mind.</p><p>“The damn fool didn’t even clean the blood off his truck. My crimson life force covering the front of his white ford f-150 like red paint across a blank canvas for all to see. And boy did he cry like a baby! That’ll teach him to drive while drunk as hell!” Light brown hues shook in pure excitement and for a second I wondered if this is what I looked like earlier today. Complete and utter mania coursing through my veins. Ebony locks fell in front of her face like a curtain and large blood-shot eyes finally locked with my own. Her hair just barely covered the pearly whites that started to show past her widespread pink lips.</p><p>At this point, the parents had decided to slip into the room, probably hoping for some kind of progress. I took a glance at the couple waiting by the door, both stiff as stone and eyes locked on their daughter as if she was some kind of changeling who had taken the actual child's place overnight. I knew that we had passed her time but couldn’t find it in me to stop her, knowing that the second I said something the mask would be pulled on once more and her walls would build back up. Turning the young girl into nothing more than an emotionless doll till the next morning.</p><p>Those god-awful maniacal giggles stopped spilling from her lips and her mouth twisted into an unflattering scowl as she eyed me and the couple with disdain.</p><p>“Why is no one laughing…This is grade- A comedy. People would pay big bucks to hear something half as hilarious as this shit. God, I’m surrounded by tedious assholes.” The last part came out as a snarky side comment but no one chose to address it.</p><p>Mrs. Kim glanced at me nervously, bouncing on the tips of her heeled shoes as she made a hand motion to finish the session. Her husband was leaning against the doorframe beside her in a carefree manner, hands tucked in his pockets and eyes shifting from Cho-hee to the door then back. I assumed that they had plans, so with a nod in her direction, I cut the session to a close.</p><p>“Your time is up Cho-hee.” Just as I expected, the real emotion across her face dropped in a matter of seconds. Mr. and Mrs. Kim didn’t seem all that surprised by the girl's little show and storytelling act. I could imagine that they’ve probably seen it all before. Fake smiles and stiff posture. I quietly watched as the girl stood up and went to walk away, her ruffled pink dress quickly being adjusted by the older women. But then, before completely stepping through the doorframe she stopped and turned to face me once more.</p><p>“The shadows like you more than most, you know. They cling to you as if you were their birth mother or perhaps like leeches on an unsuspecting prey. Either way, wherever you go they follow and I’m quite sure if you had someone that needed to be disposed of, they would probably do it without a second thought. Sadly, they won’t reach you before the army does.” She finished her claim with a false sympathetic smile, hands clenching at her side as if she wanted to say or do something more but was holding back. I wasn’t quite sure if it was for my benefit or hers.</p><p>“Well, toodles Ms. Min-young~.” My pink-tinted lips pursed at the way my name rolled off her tongue like overly sweet honey.</p><p>It was a rule of mine to always give my last name and never my first, no matter the gender or age. But this rule was far more important for the few children I did see. I had learned early on that with kids, it was easy to get attached, oftentimes claiming their psychiatrist as a family member or even a close friend. I was neither of these things, merely a person to listen, understand, and help. Not once did I ever use my first name in their presence and sometimes even with my own friends. It had become a habit I wasn’t too keen on breaking any time soon. It was always Ms. Park for them. Not Min-young or Minnie as the girls liked to call me, just Ms. Park or Park. I was more of an instructor than anything else, teaching them ways to forgive and forget.</p><p>The Kim’s were quick to usher their daughter away, muttering under their breath to the young girl. Not that she seemed to care, brushing past the couple without another word and vanishing down the hallway. Mr. Kim walked after her with a sigh, while the wife stayed behind, looking almost reluctant. I had almost expected her to stand there all day, eyes focused on anything but myself.</p><p>“Ms. Park, Could I ask something of you?” Her voice was soft, borderline tired as she slowly stepped into the room, black heels shuffling lightly against the creme carpet and hands rubbing together nervously. I slowly pulled myself up from the armchair and walked around my desk to place the clipboard beside my computer, waiting to be typed up.</p><p>“What could I help you with?” I pushed the burning desire to leave down and smiled politely at the slightly older women. My nerves still going haywire from the young girls’ obvious taunts.</p><p>“Cho-hee has been having trouble sleeping again.” The longing to go home diminished completely, confusion taking over as I took in her tired expression. Dark bags, slightly greasy hair, and lack of makeup were an obvious sign that Mrs. Kim was not okay. She looked worried over anything else and that was understandable.</p><p>“Would you like me to send in an order for the medication she used when we first started our sessions?” Hyuna immediately nodded her head, the obvious tension in her shoulders dropping.</p><p>When the couple had first come to me, it was for Cho-hee’s terrible night terrors. She had apparently gone to other psychiatrists before me but none had the answers the Kim’s wanted. Most doctors had just brushed it off as her being a child and having an overactive imagination, even when sleeping but this usually didn’t include bouts of rage while still being unconscious. It didn’t matter if they were her parents or even herself, someone always got hurt. So, I had originally given them as a way to put her to sleep without actually dreaming, it wasn’t supposed to be used all the time because it could affect the subject but the parents were desperate for a semi-solution. As time passed, she stopped needing them. I found it odd to hear that her progress was going backward instead of forward but I didn’t question it, not wanting to upset or worry the young couple even more.</p><p>“I’ll get right on that and have the pediatrician contact you when they get in if that’s alright with you.” Maybe, I’ll make a stop tomorrow. Eun-jung did mention that she was running out of her daily nutritional gummies.</p><p>“That’s perfect-” She let out a relieved sigh and pushed her red hair back with a manicured hand, Body nearly slumping over from the amount of stress this problem was causing her. “-Thank you again.”</p><p>I waved the gratitude off with a smile and sent her on her way with a ‘have a good day’. Which she was quick to reciprocate, almost skipping to the duo who I had hoped hadn’t left the poor women behind and were only waiting in the lobby. The jingle of the bell in the front was just barely audible as they left the premises. Still, as a precaution, I waited to see if anyone would appear at my door. When no one stepped in, I shut it and allowed a sigh of my own to pass my lips, shoulders slouching from their tense, professional position. </p><p>Finally free for the rest of the day. It was reaching 5 o'clock, the session taking a full hour and a half with how much the young girl had rambled when first arriving. Cho-hee did this quite often during our sessions. Just going on about the world, her parents, school, whatever suited her fancy.</p><p>I slipped off my black heels and curled into the incredibly uncomfortable desk chair. You would think that with how often I’m here, I’d invest in a nicer recliner or something but in all honesty, I’m lazy. Not liking the idea of having to go to the store, test the chairs, then spend the money to have it sent here. I reached across the table and pressed the stop button on the forgotten recorder. Today was definitely...eventful. The video transfer only took a few minutes and automatically saved itself to Cho-hee’s name. I scrolled through the countless files saved to the tab, stopping at the very first session and pressing play, pen twirling between my fingers as a way to keep my hands busy. </p><p>They all started the same.</p><p>“I died once.” Cho-hee looked younger in the recording. Hair pulled into perfectly symmetrical pigtails and a pink band-aid stuck to her cheek. If I remember correctly, she had gotten into a fight at one of the local playgrounds. From what the girl told me, she got out with much less damage than the other child had.</p><p>“I worked for a horse ranch at the time and was training one of the older stallions. He was a jumpy thing, always on edge, and grinding his teeth at anyone who got too close. We were doing okay for the time being. Neither of us had seen the toy truck racing our way until it was too late. The damn toy belonged to the owner’s bratty son-in-law. He loved taunting the animals. It was no wonder the old man was so anxious all the time.” She let out a laugh, her head falling back in the process and colliding with the cushion on the back of the chair. But she continued to tell her tale, acting as if the action hadn’t caused her any pain.</p><p>“Lucas immediately bucked in surprise, effectively throwing my form from his back, and took off in a sprint. My body was dragged after him, foot stuck in one of the stirrups. I’m pretty sure my ankle had snapped upon impact to the ground.” My voice echoed in the background, asking if it was the head trauma that led to her death, which had the girl cackling once more.</p><p>“Oh, I wish! No, I was dragged for miles until the old thing got tired and decided to walk back home.-” I paused the video and clicked on another one. This was our fourth session.</p><p>“Did you know I died once before?” Her hair was chopped unevenly at her ears, the results of another ugly fight, this one being at one of the many schools she attended. However, this brawl left her with more damage than the first one did. An ugly cut went right across her right temple, which she had proudly displayed as a trophy the second she stepped into my office. This cut would become a scar later on in the videos.</p><p>“I don’t know how but I remember feeling… free. The air felt cold against my uncovered arms and legs, burning through the skin and reaching the bone. This is one of the few memories I can't recall very well. I was on a plane one second and flying the next.”</p><p>“Is that so?”</p><p>“Yes ma’am. The wind whistling past my ears was deafening and I could barely keep my open long enough to see the aircraft go up in flames. After seeing the destruction I closed them and waited. I swear that I could sense the ground getting closer and closer...and closer…then-”</p><p>Cho-hee slammed her bandaged hands on the table causing a loud bang to echo from the speakers and throughout my office.</p><p>“BAM! God, wasn’t that exciting! Did it get your heart racing like it did mine? Can you feel the blood pumping throughout your body?” My lips flattened into a thin line at the sheer child-like glee in her voice, quickly clicking the pause button and leaning back in my uncomfortable chair. Light pink fingernails tapped against my legs which were bent and held to my chest, cauliflower hues locked on the girl on the screen. She looked absolutely bonkers.</p><p>Dissociative identity disorder could be the cause of her multiple “memories” but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that it didn’t completely add up. This kind of disorder is usually caused by some kind of accident. A type of trauma both of Cho-hee’s parents was adamant never happened. No close friend or family member's death, no mental or physical abuse. Nothing. Not even any minor incidents that could have triggered her odd, borderline psychotic behavior.</p><p>When I had first looked at the other reports on Cho-hee, I noticed that they were almost similar to those cases of kids being born and remembering their past lives. But, I can’t put that down as the cause for her episodes unless I get some kind of second opinion from another professional. Which was a hard task all on its own. No one wants to drive to a small run-down town when the probabilities of this being a hoax were so high.</p><p>I clicked out of the window and shut down the desktop, cringing when I was met with my tired appearance on the darkened logging-off screen. Perhaps, it’s best to go home, clear my head and come back tomorrow.</p><p>As I waited for the entire system to shut down completely, I took in the room that I had been working in for two years now. The color scheme was chosen for the comfort of the patients, the very light baby pink covering all four walls, and complementing the cream-colored carpet nicely. Most of the furniture was white, which was a terrible idea on my part with how quickly they got stained. The three walls closest to me, including the one that contained the door, were covered in flower photography. I didn’t have any that weren’t in black and white because it would off-set the room. The last wall closest to the only exit had a backless bookshelf that went from the roof to the floor. It didn’t have any personal belongings on it, just cute little nick nacks I had picked up in the decorative section of the furniture store. The room was simple yet did its job at keeping me and the patients calm.</p><p>I rolled my shoulders in hopes of getting rid of the stiffness that had formed from my odd sitting position, cream-colored sweater slowly slipping on one side. I didn’t bother adjusting the fabric because I knew that it was just going to slip once more. As I stood, my fingers hooked onto the belt loops of my high-waist black skinny jeans and I hoped slightly to pull them over the bit of pudge that had slipped out of its confinement. Finally, my petite feet slid back into the death traps that I had been silently cursing all day. If I was given a choice to change shoes, I would but the owner was adamant we wear the damn things. He was an older man who believed that in order for a woman to be in any kind of work field that included appearance, they should wear heels at all times. Keep it classy, he said with far too much joy. The guy was never actually around but when he was, the other workers had a bad habit of singing like a canary to get on his good side.</p><p>I opened my filing cabinet and grabbed Mrs. Kim's file, sifting through the notes until I found the original copy of the prescription given to young Cho-hee. With easy to read block letters, I copied the information onto another slip and signed my name at the bottom. Normally, this would be sent through email but lately, the electricity had been acting up. I blamed the old building and poor wiring for our crappy lightning and slow internet. I was not about to send an email, only to find out that it was never sent nor received.</p><p>My bag was already packed and laying under the birch wood desk. A long white faux coat draped across the back of the chair I had been occupying only minutes before. The weather was another thing that had been acting up as of late, going from cold to hot in a matter of seconds. I and the girls were quick to blame global warming for the violent temperature change. The odd thing was that none of the locals questioned this weird phenomenon or any of the strange occurrences that happened here. They just simply shrugged their shoulders and went on with their boring lives. This entire town and its inhabitants were just so...peculiar.</p><p>I slipped on my coat with ease, not even bothering to button it up with how quickly I heated up under the layers of fabric. And with a quick farewell to the empty room, left the office space. My already slightly chilled fingers shook as I turned the key to lock the door much like I had done many times before. With tired eyes focused on the exit, my heels turned to make a quick escape without running into one of the noisy employees from upstairs. I hadn’t made it very far, only a few steps when a faint click hit my sensitive ears.</p><p>The door was unlocked.</p><p>I scoffed at my stupidity, realizing that I must’ve not turned the key all the way or something. It had only happened once before and much like now, I had been sleep-deprived and craving a large hot spearmint tea to combat the cold weather. </p><p>My hands were a bit more firm this time as I shoved the key into the lock and twisted it. <br/>Maybe I should have one of the maintenance guys check it out tomorrow as well. My body turned to leave once more but then, with my back to the room, I took the first step and it unlocked again. However, unlike the times before, the door creaked.</p><p>My door had not only unlocked itself but opened.</p><p>Grams, I’m going insane.</p><p>With a bit of reluctance, I gingerly pushed the door open and peeked into the darkroom, Blinking in confusion when the faintest of glows illuminated my pink walls. I don’t remember leaving my phone on my desk or even taking it out of my bag? My legs subconsciously moved on their own, stepping into the room and using what little light I had to reach for the light switch. It flipped but nothing happened.</p><p>No power.</p><p>Perhaps, it was the exhaustion from today's events or the need to just go home and sleep winter away but whatever it was, led to my choice to walk through the darkness towards my device.</p><p>I had just barely stepped into the room completely when the door shut and a deafening click rang through my ears.</p><p>It finally locked.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. It's your imagination (Edited)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minyoung's logic is slowly failing her and it's becoming harder and harder to pretend that everything is just in her imagination. Things like this can't be real. When someone close to her come's out to tell her that she's not going crazy and that things are happening in the small town, she almost starts to wish that it was all just in her mind.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say.”- Gregory Maguire</p><p>This is fine. I’m fine. Someone probably assumed that I left my door open and shut it as they walked by. It was more than likely Amber Lui. She was always watching my back when the vultures from the second floor were around.</p><p>I reached a hand out towards the light switch should be, giving a silent prayer that they would magically work the second time around. However, My neutral expression dropped when the lights continued to be the bane of my existence and didn’t come on right away. Another full-on power outage in the span of two weeks, forget the maintenance guy, the big boss needs to get his ass down here and have the lights checked.</p><p>One of my hands grasped the door handle pressed into my back, letting out the softest of whines when it continued to be difficult. I was practically a stone statue at this point, hoping to the gods above that the loud wheezy breathing was my own, even if I knew differently. Someone had to be screwing with me.</p><p>“I swear, if this is you, Kang, I will beat your ass. There’s a reason why I wear heels and It’s not to appease Mr. Lee. Maybe I’ll throw your ass into the busy streets. How does lunch traffic sound or perhaps you would prefer the morning rush.” My voice sounded so small and frail in the surrounding abyss, words falling quiet towards the end of my threat when I became acutely aware that the wheezing was getting louder...closer.</p><p>With each step of the intruder, the room became more frigid, my lungs working twice as hard to get the proper amount of airflow to stay conscious. Loud pops and cracks seemed to follow the person like a bad omen.</p><p>Breath in… </p><p>Breath out…</p><p>I stood completely still, my heart rate skyrocketing as the visitor made a B-line towards my shaking figure. Whoever it was, was only inches away now. Their tall form barely visible to my eyes, which had yet to fully acclimate to the darkness.</p><p>Neither of us moved, just watching and waiting for something to happen. I allowed my defenses to drop and closed my eyes tightly, counting to five in my head before opening them once more. I wish I would’ve just kept them shut.</p><p>Skin and bone. That’s all it was. No identifiable details that could have helped me later to find the culprit. Not that it would do much good. This unannounced visitor couldn’t be human. The way their skin clung to each rib before tightening to follow every grove of the spinal column and then widened at the pelvis, was unnatural. There was no way someone could live like this. It’s physically impossible. </p><p>There was another pop and I immediately flinched, preparing myself for what was to come next. That’s when air as cold as the freezing winds outside brushed against my flushed cheeks. Their face only inches away from mine.</p><p>Sunken beady, black eyes stared back at me, observing. The nose was only two holes in the middle of a gray complexion. The mouth making those terrible noises was something that would forever be imprinted in my mind. Pale lips parted to let out another puff of air, the top poorly sewn to the bottom. What looked to be some kind of black twine stopped the creature from opening its jaw any wider, dust particle flying out with each ragged breath.</p><p>The thing before me slowly tilted its large, hairless head. Eyes dancing across my face with rapid speed as if it was trying to retain my image in its mind.</p><p>Click.</p><p>Both of our heads snapped to the right, trying to make out whatever was trying to hide in the dark. All I could think about at this moment was that now would be the perfect time for that “guardian” to show up. I shifted my gaze back to the creature and watched as it raised a bony finger to its lips.</p><p>“Shhh…”</p><p>I didn’t have to be told twice, quickly nodding my head in response. If me being obedient got both of these things away then you can best bet that I was going to listen and not ask questions. Questions always got people killed in horror movies.</p><p>There was a growl from the farthest corner of the room, the noise easily overpowering my loud heartbeat. The guttural sound was probably the most terrifying thing I’d ever heard. Or that's what I thought.</p><p>Boy was I wrong.</p><p>The creature in front of me turned, shielding my tiny form before inhaling loudly. The sound reminded me of someone taking in their first breath after being underwater for too long. Then without warning, a screech fell from its sewn lips, nearly deafening compared to the growls.</p><p>It's incredibly tall form lunged over my couch and I immediately snapped my eyes shut, waiting for the collision and just wanting everything to go back to normal. No ugly ass creatures with beady eyes and no more snarling that resembled a starving beast.</p><p>“Hello, my lovely friend. I’m currently calling you so I recommend picking up the phone. Love Chungha~.”</p><p>The voice of my closest friend managed to coax my fear away, blue eyes slowly opening. A whine slipped out when I was hit by the overly bright lights in the room.</p><p>Wait...the lights are on.</p><p>I scanned the room thoroughly, moving anything and everything in hopes of finding someone hiding away, the phone, and my savior completely forgotten. This had to have been a prank. Maybe they rented a freakishly realistic mannequin in hopes of scaring the youngest doctor in the building. Yeah, that’s logical. Kang Daniel and Jay Park are constantly on my ass about how I graduated far too early, even if I’m already in my mid to late ’20s.</p><p>“Hello, my lovely friend-” I launched over the couch, dropping down and peeking over the white cushions, eyes focused on my desk. Once I realized it was my phone I made my way over and quickly swiped the green phone icon seconds before the ringtone finished.</p><p>“Look who finally decided to answer. Maybe I should change your ringtone to the screaming duck you hated so much at uni.” Chungha’s tone was joking and probably should’ve helped my panic but at the moment everything seemed to go in one ear and slip out the other.</p><p>“Hi. Sorry, I- I left my phone in the office and the lock wouldn’t turn. You know how I’ve complained about the damn thing getting stuck.-” I could faintly hear chungha trying to get a word in but I found myself unable to stop, trying to block out the screech that seemed to echo in the empty room. “I really need to talk to one of the higher-ups, maybe threaten to throw hands with Kang or Park. Did you know that heels are a perfect projectile, I did not and I can’t get enough-”</p><p>“Babe!”</p><p>My rambling stopped instantaneously. Chungha never raised her voice around us so when she did, you knew that she demanded respect and your utmost attention. I let out a small squeaky ‘yes’, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Her tone was soft, almost as if she was speaking to one of the many kids she taught and looked after.</p><p>“Yeah, I-” Come on, Think of something quick. “During Cho-hee’s session, I opened the window and let a bug in. The damn thing was hiding under my desk and gave me a heart attack.” There was no reply on the other end but I could make out some kind of banter. Chungha was squawking loudly, while Sunmi seemed to be screeching something right back.</p><p>I swear, these two got some serious issues.</p><p>My thumb pressed against the speaker as I went back to searching for some kind of evidence. Whoever did this left nothing behind, not a single speck of dirt on any of the white furniture. They were good, I’ll give them that.</p><p>A loud screech echoed across the room and almost on instinct I dropped into a squat, eyes darting around in fear of seeing whatever that thing was in the light. Another one was heard but this time I realized what it was. Dear lord, Sunmi. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?</p><p>“Finally! Alright, What kind was it?”</p><p>“What kind was what?” Sunmi let out an annoyed huff before exclaiming rather loudly into the speaker.</p><p>“The bug! Was it one of those roaches? The ones with the ugly little wings? If it was then I completely understand your fear.” My lips curled slightly in amusement, immediately sensing the beginning of a story.</p><p>“Soobin, One of my drama students, started screeching from outside the room and came running in with one of those… those THINGS attached to his sleeve. At first, I was like, ‘Okay, it’s a roach, no biggie.’ But then the bitch launched itself, like a straight-up leap of faith suicide jump, off of Soobin’s sleeve, and unleashed its fury. I had to call the janitor to kill it because it kept chasing the poor child around like he killed its family. I’ve never wanted to cry in fear before until then.” Sunmi’s ramble session continued, her voice slowly losing volume as she ran out of air.</p><p>I waited to see if she was done, bag in hand, and eyes locked on the door.</p><p>She inhaled loudly before finally exclaiming, “Alright, I’m done.” The blonde sounded so pleased with herself.</p><p>“Alright, so what do you and chunnie need?” </p><p>“Yeah…” Sunmi pulled the phone away and I could vaguely hear her asking why they called in the first place. A sigh left the speaker before chungha popped back in once more.</p><p>“Hi again! Anyways, Sunmi needs a bit of help highlighting parts for the upcoming play. She had a student-”</p><p>“HueningKai!” And she’s back.</p><p>“She had HueningKai doing it but- Why is he not doing it again?”</p><p>“Because that boy, as cute as he is, has the attention span of an energetic puppy. It’s not a bad thing but it does make my job a bit harder.”</p><p>I found myself smiling fondly at the memory of the young high school student stuttering during one of the reading sessions. Sunmi never let me attend another one after that because she believed that the adorable puppy-like boy had grown a small crush on me. It made sense. HeuningKai always had problems speaking when I was around and would often cling to his older friend, Soobin, When I came to watch. Or perhaps, I scared him.</p><p>“Alright. Where am I meeting you two? Apartment or the high school?” At this point, I was pacing my room, wanting to leave but also not wanting any of my nosey workers to eavesdrop. You would think that they had something to hide with how weird they got when I was around.</p><p>“It’s La Petit… Le Petiet… It’s the cafe right down the street from your building.” I let out a soft laugh, incredibly amused with chunghas loud whine when she realized just how bad her fails sounded out loud.</p><p>“It’s no wonder you dropped french. You took half a semester and can’t speak a word of it.” Sunmi’s taunting tone could be heard clearly through the phone, prompting another cry from her girlfriend.</p><p>“Alright, I’ll leave you two to your lovers quarrel. Please don’t kill each other before I get there. I want a recording to show the police-”</p><p>“YAHH-” I hung up, the smile still on my lips and heart slowly returning to its normal pace. They always managed to raise my mood without fail.</p><p>With the keys in hand and bag in the other, I left my office. The door lock clicked loudly. I tried to walk away, I really did but as my eyes fell on the door handle, I found myself waiting.</p><p>“Is something supposed to happen?” A squeak left my lips and on instinct, I threw my fist out and made direct contact with someone’s stomach. They keeled over, breathless laughter shaking their form. It only took a second to recognize the male before me.</p><p>Black smooth strands fell elegantly across his face, hair sectioned right down the middle with perfect symmetry. The back was a bit long compared to other people that worked here but he somehow managed to make it work. His bangs seemed to always have a simple curl to them, something I was rather envious of for quite some time. Those eyes of his resembled a cup of hot chocolate, always warm and sweet. Finally, those lips that never failed to curl effortlessly into a smile when I wished him a good afternoon at the beginning of his shift. The bottom was a bit more full than the top and his upper lip seemed to be missing that distinct cupid's bow but they still held their fullness.</p><p>Jung Wooyoung, also known as the puppy receptionist.</p><p>I silently watched the younger male drop into a squat, sweet giggles spilling past his pink lips and body bouncing in a rather cute manner. His reaction reassembling a child who had just pulled the funniest joke in his life. My lips involuntarily curled up, despite my previous fear and disdain towards his actions.</p><p>“Alright, alright. Get yourself together, wooyoung.” When he refused to move, I reached out, latching my hands onto his upper arms and pulling the incredibly tall and heavy male up. I tried my hardest to ignore the look on his face, an expression that I had been on the receiving end for weeks and somehow still managed to confuse me. It was soft and far too sweet for someone like myself.</p><p>He let out a heavy breath, that same effortless smile appearing as he composed himself.</p><p>“I’m good now.”</p><p>“You sure? You're not going to fall over again, are you? I might just leave you this time.” My name slipped past his lips in a small whine, every syllable elongated. It was...cute. Not that I would ever say that to his incredibly attractive face.</p><p>Remember the almost 5 year age difference, Min-young.</p><p>“What do you need, darling?” The pet name slipped out before I could correct myself and he visibly flushed, lips pursing and cheeks puffing out in a child-like manner.</p><p>“Everyone’s left early. They’re replacing the carpets in the lounge area and second floor so we gotta leave. Big boss sent an email but I had a feeling you weren’t going to read it so I came to inform you myself. Don’t you feel loved?”</p><p> </p><p>“Definitely, handsome.” I slipped past the ebony-haired boy, heels clicking loudly against the wood flooring. However, as I reached the end of the hallway, I realized that he hadn’t followed. </p><p>“Wooyoung?” His head snapped up, eyes wide and hands covering the lower half of his face. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he was flustered. </p><p>“Y-yes?”</p><p>“Are you coming along or-”</p><p>Click…</p><p>I froze, eyes slipping past the puppy-like male and landing on my door, which was now ajar. It only took me a second to realize that if something came out, it would go straight to him first. My feet moved quickly towards the door, slipping past the boy who had gone just as stiff as I had upon hearing the noise. With a shaky hand, I grasped the handle, eyes solely focused on the gap as it slowly became smaller until finally it clicked shut. I locked it and quickly made my way to Wooyoung, grasping his hand and pulling him along. If something decided to come out, then it could attack the workers upstairs when they come back, they’re all assholes anyway.</p><p>“What was…”</p><p>I hummed in question, glancing back at the boy who was still looking at my door in confusion.</p><p>“Something wrong?”</p><p>“I just that I could have sworn… I heard something. It must’ve been my imagination, sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t apologize. It’s been a weird day for me too.” Neither of us spoke until we made it out the front door, wooyoung turning around to lock the front doors since we were the last people in the building.</p><p>I went to pull my hand away, mindset on forgetting what happened earlier and focused on how good a nice cup of hot chocolate would taste right now, but stopped when the larger hand in my grasp tightened.</p><p>“Wooyoung, I have-”</p><p>“Do you want to get lunch or maybe coffee?” I quickly connected the dots that he didn’t want to be alone. He probably would’ve chosen someone else but I was the only person around.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I actually have plans.”</p><p>“Wwwhhhaaattt. But what about me? I’m lonely, noona.” I let out a small squeak when he pulled me closer, whines leaving those plump lips once more and his head resting against my covered shoulder. The ebony-haired male was completely oblivious to the attention he was getting from passersby.</p><p>“How about you come to get a coffee with me and the girls?” He let out another wail and I blinked in confusion trying to figure out what was wrong now. Did he not want to hang out with us? </p><p>“Did you need a ride home? I can drive you then come back if you don’t want to-”</p><p>“No! I just-” He huffed before muttering something under his breath. The smile he always wore dropping slightly. “Coffee sounds nice.”</p><p>“Alright, coffee it is.” His hand slipped out of my own, smile gone and eyes glancing anywhere but in my direction. He didn’t speak a word. I think this was him pouting. We made it halfway to Le Petit Bistro when the silence became too much. I was used to the loud whiny wooyoung, not the silent one. So, it was only natural that I would want to change that. My warm digits reached out and grasped his hand once more, wincing when his cold fingers intertwined with my own. But it was all worth it when he shuffled closer, lips curling up slightly.</p><p>Actually, scratch that. I like sweet, content wooyoung the most.</p><p>As the cafe got closer, the teaching duo became more visible inside the warm little shop, papers spread across the table, and an empty coffee cup filled with multi-colored highlighters sitting in the middle next to the napkins. </p><p>They both seemed to be completely submerged in the scripts, a pair of earbuds being shared between the two and shoulders pressed together discreetly but intimately.</p><p>We finally reached the front door and Wooyoung was quick to hold it open for me, my hand slipping from his to share the warmth to my other hand which had braved the cold alone. I shuffled forward and smiled brightly upon seeing my favorite person at the register.</p><p>Her once long blonde hair was chopped evenly an inch above her shoulder, cocoa-colored eyes brightening at my appearance and cat-like smile growing to the point that her front teeth were fully visible.</p><p>“My Love! Where have you been? I’ve been missing my mint-hot chocolate buddy.” Her loud wail grabbing the attention of everyone in the shop, which then shifted to me and the pretty boy. I made my way to the bouncing Soyeon, who looked ready to jump the counter if I kept the distance any longer. However, When wooyoung didn’t follow I found myself backtracking and reaching out to grasp the sleeve of his white dress shirt between my thumb and index finger, gently tugging him along while ignoring the look from the blond goddess dressed in an apron. </p><p>“What would you like today? Hot drinks are half off due to the weather.” She ignored me, eyes focused on the boy who had pressed himself into my side in an odd almost shy way. Did Soyeon make him nervous?</p><p>“I’ll take whatever noona’s taking.” She hummed in response, sending an obvious wink in my direction.</p><p>“Ah~ A man after Min-young’s heart. Lucky, lucky girl.” I could feel my face heat up, eyes dancing over to the boy who had gone oddly quiet. His lips were curled up but not in the normal way. No, this was a more dangerous, almost mischievous look. He was smirking at me like some kind of succubus, arm slowly moving to wrap around my waist which I was quick to lightly slap away. Not that it stopped him from moving impossibly closer, his chin resting on my shoulder and hands gently holding my waist. Against better judgment, I left them there. Wooyoung was a flirt with everybody so actions like these came naturally. There was no point in thinking into the “deeper meaning” because there wasn’t one. Just Wooyoung being himself.</p><p>“Two Minty hot chocolates coming right up. Who’s paying?” I didn’t even think about asking the clingy child, slipping my wallet out, and reaching for my card. I was used to spending money on other people because I didn’t like the idea of them paying for me. Something that the girlfriend duo realized in university during our first outing. It was a battle for whoever could reach the bill first and it was safe to say that I usually came out victorious. However, it quickly came to my attention that wooyoung was not going to back down. Easily reaching over and snatching my wallet, slipping the Totoro styled object back into my pocket with a triumphant hum. What he didn’t notice was the card in my other hand.</p><p>“I’ll pay.”</p><p>“I’m paying.” </p><p>“What? no, Wooyoung. I’m older than you, let me pay.”</p><p>“No. Let me treat you. As you said, you’re older so let me do a good thing and pay for my elder.”</p><p>“Elder!”</p><p>“You said it first, I’m just agreeing.”</p><p>“Wooyoung!”</p><p>“You know, that basically makes you a cougar.”</p><p>“We aren't dating.”</p><p>“But we could be.”</p><p>“But we aren't.”</p><p>“what if I wanted it?”</p><p>3rd POV</p><p>Soyeon watched the two go back and forth, wooyoung’s card in her hand and receipt in the other. The boy was smart, she’ll give him that. He had slipped it to her halfway through the cougar comment, eyes solely focused on the shorter female before him. She had concluded that they were cute.</p><p>“So, When’s the wedding?”</p><p>“Wedding?” Min-young’s cat-like blue eyes snapped towards the barista, face flushed from embarrassment. However, wooyoung grinned brightly at the comment, seizing the moment and immediately locking the girl in a back hug. </p><p>“We don’t have a date yet but once we do, you’ll be the first to know.” She hummed in reply, pleased with the answer, and slid over the tray with two light green-colored mugs. Both holding the milk chocolate liquid with a large flower-shaped marshmallow floating in the middle, petals barely brushing the edge of the ceramic. Two mint chocolate green leaves were placed delicately on top of the flower, the heat slowly melting them.</p><p>Min-young grumbled quietly to herself, reaching out to take the tray but was beaten, once again, by the incredibly attractive and equally irritating boy. At this point she was the one whining, fingers gently holding onto the arm of his sleeve as she claimed herself to be an independent woman who didn’t need to be babied. The boy ignored her, a smile growing as they got closer to the table.</p><p>“Noonas!”</p><p>“Woowoo!”</p><p>“Yah!” He placed the tray down, mouth wide open as he watched the three older girls snicker in amusement. Sunmi holding his favorite freckled colleague to her side as she giggled against her shoulder, Chungha holding onto sunmi’s other shoulder with a bright smile.</p><p>“Sit down, pretty boy.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“Nope, you held the tray therefore you get to take the inside seat.” He slowly slid in, cheeks puffed out and eyes glaring at the two teachers who had yet to stop snickering.</p><p> </p><p>Min-young, who was incredibly pleased with herself, slipped into the booth after he got situated and placed a mug before him. Large hands took the tray from her grasp, one of the many waiters sending the psychiatrist a charming smile before disappearing once more. This, of course, had the boy grumbling once more. Thirty minutes later and everything had gone quiet, Wooyoung's head rested on the table, directed towards the blue-eyed girl seated beside him. Chungha glanced up, rubbing her eyes and taking in the progress of the other two but stopped her search when it landed on the boy. He looked smitten.</p><p>“Hon.” Chungha nudged sunmi, eyes dancing from her freckled best friend to the boy seated beside her. A boy they had heard quite a bit about during sleepovers. It was never in a romantic way, much to the girl's disappointment, but did hint that she found him cute. However, not in the way they were hoping. She often spoke about him as if he was a much younger child, not a grown man.</p><p>Sunmi glanced up, eyebrows raised in question and blonde hair falling in front of her face. Much like chungha, her eyes slowly took in the table before falling on the current predicament. </p><p>Ahhh~, young love.</p><p>Neither girl said anything about what they had witnessed, keeping the Wooyoung's obvious admiration a secret for the time being. An hour quickly became two, before they finally reached the last packet. Min-young ended up taking it since she could read faster than both of them combined, and the girls took this break as a moment to take in the not-couple before them. </p><p>Wooyoung had fallen asleep at some point, his head nestled in her neck and body angled towards their blue-eyed comrade. His locks of black hair tucked gently behind his pierced ear, something Min-young had done subconsciously when feeling the tendrils brush against her skin. Chungha smiled at them, taking in just how cute they looked together, however, sunmi’s eyes were elsewhere.</p><p>“Minnie, fix the bandage.” light pink fingertips immediately shot up and pressed against the edges, forcing the adhesive to stay just a bit longer and cover the unnatural glow the tattoo had been giving off lately. After, She went through the last page, highlighter twirling between her fingers as the final line of the script left her vision.</p><p>“Done.”</p><p>“Good, now talk about the phone call?” Sunmi jumped straight into another topic, diverting it away from the reason for covering said tattoo, seeing as their guest was definitely eavesdropping.</p><p>“What phone call?” Cornflower eyes blatantly ignored the looks and solely focused on moving the boy's head into a more comfortable position.</p><p>“Don’t play stup- owww, chunnie.” Chungha ignored her girlfriend entirely, trying to catch the slightest hint of fear she heard during the earlier chat in Min-young's eyes. It was still there, hiding underneath the surface like a shadow waiting to jump out during your most vulnerable moment. The others hadn't noticed how loud noises would make her shoulders stiffen or how she would look over her shoulder every once in a while but the brown-haired beauty had. And she was worried.</p><p>“I thought I saw something in my office today.” Sunmi chuckled, waiting for the usual explanation that came afterward but stopped when Min-young refused to continue, bottom lip pinned between her teeth.</p><p>“Wait...You're being serious. Like actually saw something with no explanation whatsoever.” Nothing was said.</p><p>“Holy shit.” Chunghas hand flew out once more, smacking the girl's arm.</p><p>“Yeah-”, Min-young finally released her now bruised lip to let out a dry chuckle. “Scared the hell out of me, didn’t help that the power went out right before and some asshole shut my door.”</p><p>“So, you saw something in the dark.”</p><p>“Actually, I heard it… breathing.” She didn’t say anything about the growls and screams that refused to leave her mind. Sunmi didn’t do well with horror, unlike her soft-hearted love interest who had a small obsession.</p><p>“Maybe… It was actually there- Ow! Why are you so abusive!” Chungha shook her head before facing her wide-eyed friend, choosing to ignore the boy who she knew was pretending to sleep on her friend's shoulder.</p><p>“Did something scary happen before the incident? Like, did someone say something weird to you that kind of stuck in your head? The reason I’m saying this is because I had a student last year that drew some weird pictures and kept giving them to me. For weeks, I swear I would see this creature in our apartment or down the street, just watching.”</p><p>“Oh, I remember that time. You took a sick leave because you couldn’t sleep and left the lamp on.” </p><p>Min-Young’s pov</p><p>I hummed along with the two girls' thoughts. It was possible but didn’t explain the lights and door shutting behind me.</p><p>“Well, one of my patients said something really weird during our session.”</p><p>“Is it still fresh in your mind?”</p><p>My lips parted ready to deny the question even if I knew it was right but stopped when a hand slipped into my own. It was gentle but not as soft as the one I felt in the neighbor's yard. I quite liked the feeling of his calluses pressing against my skin, it made it seem more real, I guess.</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>"Then you are probably just being paranoid. It's happened before right? Being jumpy after an odd session with a patient." I knew where Chungha was coming from but something just didn’t feel right.</p><p>“I...Yeah, you're probably right.”</p><p>No, there is no way I could have imagined that thing based on one statement. I was never creative. Could never draw or paint during class activities. I had zero creative bones in my body. I was just barely lucky enough to be able to dance but even that took a lot of practice and hours.</p><p>“Good, now that that’s been explained. We gotta go. The owner of the apartments wanted to speak to us today at 8 o’clock, which gives us about thirty minutes to get back and change. That cat lady across the hall probably complained about us being loud again. She’s just upset that we're dog people.” I watched as Chungha rolled her eyes at Sunmi's statement, gently taking the scripts from my hands and slipping them into her book bag.</p><p>“Mimi, maybe it has something to do with your argument when you first moved in.” The blonde-haired female scoffed at the atrocious nickname, eyes playfully narrowing in my direction.</p><p>“Shut up and wake up your man.”</p><p>“He’s not my man.” </p><p>“You just keep saying that, beautiful.” It was my turn to scoff, tilting my head to get a glimpse at the boy's face. He seemed to have actually fallen asleep at some point.</p><p>“Wooyoung… Darling, it’s time to get up.”</p><p>“Awww~ She called him darling. Babe, did you hear that?” I sent sunmi a look mouthing for her to shut up, hoping that she would understand now was not the time. She didn’t. She made a gesture that had Chungha looking at the blonde in confusion and concern.</p><p>“Hon, what are you going on about now?”</p><p>“I’m hearing… What’s that...OH, I know what that is. It’s Denial.” The girl sent me a shit-eating grin. Her teeth showing and all. Good god, she’s going to be a scary parent.</p><p>I spun around, nearly squeaking in surprise when I locked eyes with the younger male. He was oddly quiet, Chocolate-colored hues narrowed at me as if he was trying to figure something out.</p><p>“Come on, darling. I’m gonna drop you off at home, okay?” Nothing. He simply nodded his head before letting out a yawn.</p><p>Ah, so tired boy leads to a quiet boy. Good to know.</p><p>I slipped out of the booth before holding my hand out, afraid that if I let him move on his own he’d trip and fall over. This was unknown territory for me, never being the type to baby someone. But I wasn’t about to let him trip or do something that could lead to injury in his sleepy state.</p><p>His hand slid into my own without a second of hesitation. I could faintly hear chungha whisper excitedly to sunmi, both probably watching from the front door. Fricking fangirls.</p><p>We all made our way outside, sunmi giving me the hours for the next practice day, just in case I decided to stop by. Wooyoung was pressed to my back, face nuzzled into my neck once more. Almost as if instinct, I reached out and pulled his hands into the pockets of my coat in hopes of dethawing his frozen fingers. It was all purely platonic. We probably could’ve stayed out there all night talking but the sound of his second yawn got me cutting our goodbye’s short.</p><p>“Alright, I’ll talk to you two later. Get home safely and don't leave Mrs. Choi waiting long.”</p><p>“Mrs. Choi?”</p><p>“Sunmi, that’s your landlady.” The poor girl looked so confused.</p><p>“Oh. Wait...Choi...does she have a son that really likes strawberries?”</p><p>“Are you talking about Beomgyu? He’s literally one of your students, shouldn’t you know his name by now? Also, she’s his grandmother.”</p><p>“How do you know these things?”</p><p>“I took over for the school counselor last year when she was on maternity leave. I swear, your memory just seems to get worse and worse”</p><p>“Alright-” Chungha jumped in, lacing her fingers with sunmi’s and pulling her along. Directing her eyes to me with a smile. “-I’ll see you soon. Be safe, babe!”</p><p>It was quiet after that. The duo disappearing rather quickly and leaving me with the boy that seemed adamant about holding at least one of my hands. We made it back to my black crossover with no problem, Both of us blatantly ignoring the street lights that randomly turned off as we passed. This was some horror movie shit, right here.</p><p>Just as I shut my door, the light above flickered before shrouding us in darkness. I quickly drove off, trying to not seem like I was panicking on the inside.</p><p>“So, what happened to the honda accord?” I wasn’t expecting an answer, I just wanted to fill the silence with something louder than the quiet humming of the radio.</p><p>“My roommates and I share two cars. Today was one of my hyungs days. Also, take a turn on chestnut.”</p><p>I did as asked, filing away the information subconsciously.</p><p>“The house with the roses in the front.”  </p><p>I pulled in next to the mailbox. His house was nice. White rose bushes covered the outer lining of the off-white colored house. The roof looked black in the night but I’m quite sure it was probably a navy blue or dark purple. Another car was parked in the front, minion stickers covering the back. Overall, it seemed welcoming enough.</p><p>Wooyoung stepped out, another yawn passing his lips. The puppy-like boy was quick to stretch the second he was out of the vehicle, shifting slightly to face the front door of his home. I took this as my signal to leave and got ready to drive away but was stopped.</p><p>“By the way, Minyoung. The power in the building didn’t go out.-” I narrowed my eyes in confusion. So, I was right. He was awake when I was recalling my heart-attack-inducing experience.</p><p>“What are you trying to say?” To my bewilderment, he didn't answer right away, letting out the softest of curses under his breath, eyes focused on something down the street. I refused to check the rear-view mirror.</p><p>“I’m saying that the hallway cameras only showed one room losing power. Yours. I’m not sure how because it should’ve screwed with the hallway lights or even the cameras. But nothing else had problems. And your door wasn’t shut by anyone, it closed on its own. It’s crazy.” He let out a sigh, bouncing from foot to foot looking almost impatient.</p><p>“Look, just be safe. Please.” I nodded my head, watching the younger male run inside the house. </p><p>I got home in record time, thanking the heavens that he only lived three streets away.</p><p>Something in this town is fucking with my senses and I’m only going to be able to ignore it for so long. But for now, for my friends and wooyoung’s sake, I’ll pretend it’s just random power outages. I’ll pretend that I don’t hear people talking when no one’s there and most of all, I’ll ignore the person that’s been chasing after my car since we left the coffee shop. None of it’s real, probably just my imagination.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Saturdays are meant for tea and contemplation (Edited)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minyoung didn't have anything planned for the rainy Saturday besides have a small tea outing with her lovely neighbor, Eun-jung. However, that's all cut short when a girl shows up, bringing more that the young psychiatrist had bargained for. One of these things being a young attractive officer that has his eyes set on the freckled face, blue eyed protagonist.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Imagination is a great thing in the long dull hours, but it’s a real curse in a dark alley.” -Zilpha Keatley Snyder</p><p>The next few days were uneventful. For others it would have been like a blessing or gift from the gods, to have a normal life after seeing what I have seen but a small part of me knew this wasn’t going to last. It was the calm before the storm. A few seconds to breathe clean air before being drowned completely by what hid in the shadows of this town.</p><p>It was currently a cloudy Wednesday morning. The week had passed incredibly fast and the cold winds had dimmed down to a light breeze. heavy rain had started up at some point in the night and had yet to stop, leaving me with little options on what to do since the office was still closed for maintenance. The workers replacing the carpets had found some kind of mold and deemed the entire place unsafe until it could be removed. I found this odd seeing as we had inspections every year. The last one was barely a month ago, in which they found nothing of concern.</p><p>I had contacted Cho-hee’s parents immediately and they both decided that it was best to take a step back from this place and go on a vacation. I agreed whole-heartedly but kept the reasoning to myself. If they had known that I wanted them gone to put some space between me and their 7 year old child I’m quite sure we would have some problems.</p><p>Wednesdays were normally kept free of activities so that I could watch the weekly “parties” at the neighbor's house. Sending smiles to the girls as they lined up like sheep for the slaughter. However, with this kind of weather I didn’t expect anyone to show up and apparently neither did the mysterious house owner next door. So, when one lone girl showed up at the gate, baby-blue knee-length dress soaked and clinging to her skin, the iron gate did not creak open. She continued to press the button with a look of pure despair on her face, makeup running down her cheeks and hair losing any kind of volume it could have had before her arrival. </p><p>Eun-jung was just barely getting situated on the porch, her cute little tea set decorated with Disney characters placed on the glass table usually covered in knitting supplies. I’m quite sure the older woman had yet to even see the young teen across the way, her mindset on making sure only the best looking cookies were placed on the cracker tray. It wasn’t until the brunette let out a yell of anger that sky-blue eyes finally fell on the girl, the atmosphere becoming thick with tension as her scream echoed alongside the distant thunder. It was almost like something you would hear out of a black and white vampire or zombie film. She continued to yell obscene things at the Victorian house, rocks flying from her hands as she pelted the windows.</p><p>It only took one look at Eun-jung to know what her next actions would be. I reached towards my umbrella, which I had placed aside minutes before, and quickly made my way across the street, the phone left abandoned on my cushioned bench. Her pink crocs had just barely stepped off the porch when I made myself known. The large red umbrella hiding her smaller form from the rain. With Nana being older, I worried about her health as often as I could. If she coughed I was there with tea, stomach problem; crackers and soup, headache, you best bet I was going to drive across town to get her the best medicine I could. She was incredibly close to me so if it came between protecting her from the rain or some random girl with anger issues, it would always be the nana.</p><p>Speaking of the older woman, her arm linked with mine as we got closer to the teenager. At first, I assumed that it was for warmth but after glancing at her tight expression I realized that she was afraid. We stopped a couple of feet away from the brunette, a small part of me feared that she was going to lash out and do some damage to the cute little lady by my side. I handed the umbrella to Eun-jung and stepped forward slowly. The short blue dress she wore seemed to do little good against the constant waves of rain that our area was getting and the young girl was starting to shiver. All the anger she was exerting earlier was gone and replaced with a cold numbness that I normally only saw in my patients.</p><p>“Excuse me.” I didn’t get any kind of reaction. Her blank onyx eyes staring down the blood-red door. I shared a look with my companion, our blue eyes holding the same resistance to get closer. Her right hand held a large baseball-sized rock, knuckles lacking any kind of pigmentation as she flexed her fingers around the object. The teen's instant calmness was unnerving, seeing as seconds before she was shaking in anger and yelling louder than the howling wind.</p><p>The rain was starting to pick up once more and I could tell that nana was becoming anxious, shifting from foot to foot as she glanced down the streets periodically. She never left her house for long, me or the girls usually picked up anything she needed in hopes of keeping her from stressing out too much. Mother always told me that the older you get the more harmful stress is on your body. </p><p>I reached out and gently tapped the girl's bare shoulder, nearly flinching away when her cold skin made contact with mine. She needed to get warm. Her skin felt like ice as I finally gained enough courage to grasp her hand. When she didn’t pull back or start panicking, I tugged her into my side, transferring as much warmth as possible. Eun-jung waddled behind us, breathing a sigh of relief when we stepped back onto her porch.</p><p>The petite older woman wanted to stay out and retrieve her tea set but I was against it, sending her inside with the girl as I fought against the winds to pick up the fallen ceramics. None of them had cracked, thank god but the cookies were no longer good and the water in the teapot had gone cold long ago. When I finally managed to get everything inside I shut the screen door, taking in the rain as it continued to pour. The teen was muttering things under her breath, voice trembling and body curling in on itself as she tried to gain some kind of warmth. It wasn’t until she said something about the house that she caught my attention but with one look from Eun-jung, I knew that she had it under control, waving my curiosity away. I hadn’t looked away for long before realizing that the rain was slipping through the holes in the aluminum wire, several drops hitting my sweater and flushed cheeks. Just as I was about to close the wooden door, my wide blue eyes landed on a figure standing in the rain.</p><p>She stood motionless in the middle of the road, long red hair clinging to her face and lipstick smeared to the side as if she had tried to wipe it off before and gave up. The rose-colored jumpsuit was soaked and had become a second skin on the young woman, white heels splattered with bits of mud and leaves. Pale hands flexed at her side, long manicured nails scratching against the material of the jumpsuit. Her eyes were completely blocked from view, hidden behind the tendrils of cherry red. I swore for a second that the corner of her lips curled up into a sadistic smirk.</p><p>I was definitely seeing shit again.</p><p>There was a loud squeal from down the street followed by the revving of an engine. A car was swerving past the corner, fighting against the harsh winds. They were getting closer...faster and I could feel my heart rate start to pick up.</p><p>Why wasn’t she moving? Why was she just standing there!? MOVE! </p><p>I grabbed onto the door frame, willing my legs to stay strong even if they wanted to buckle. The honda was picking up speed, tinted windows making it impossible to see who was driving. She lifted one hand and wiggled her fingers in what was supposed to be a friendly gesture but seemed more sinister. The car was impossibly close now. I shut my eyes tightly, counting to five in my head as the squealing became more audible.</p><p>I wasn’t even on two when a thud echoed through the street, somehow sounding so much louder than the rain and screeching of tires. It probably wasn’t even that loud but in my mind, it was all that I could hear. A constant replay of something heavy smacking against the hood of a car before tumbling over the roof and hitting the road with a wet squelch. It happened so fast.</p><p>By the time I hit five, the car was turning the corner and disappearing without a trace. I kept my eyes on the street that the Honda had just turned down, afraid to take in the scene in front of me.</p><p>What would she look like? What if she was facing this way, her neck snapped from the force of the vehicle? Would she be bent oddly or just laying flat against the asphalt?</p><p>I immediately thought of the story Cho-hee had told me just days before. Her light brown eyes blown wide as if she was getting off on the excitement of the situation. Black locks of hair flying around with how much she was shaking in her seat.</p><p>“ I rolled over the car as gracefully as you would expect of a body when being hit by someone going over 90 miles an hour and landed head first onto the burning asphalt. Quite the sight. Blood and bits of skull surrounding my broken, beaten corpse.”</p><p>Eun-jung was still talking to the girl but there muttering was a mere background sound compared to the thrumming of my heart as I shifted my gaze to the accident.</p><p>One white heeled shoe was left behind but nothing else. For a second, I wondered if the car had taken the body with them but I’m quite sure I would’ve heard a door slam as the driver stepped out. This entire situation was bothersome. But what irked me most was how little evidence was left behind. Should I even call the cops? Would they believe me? I didn’t even recognize the women or have enough time to get a name. Plus, they had Hongjoo- Kim on check-up duty, meaning that any calls were answered and worked on by him. From what I heard from Chungha, he works purely on the evidence found at the scene of the crime. If there weren’t any scraps left behind then he sees no point in investigating. This information was based on an experience one of her colleagues had at the kindergarten that included the young police officer.</p><p>I’ve only met officer Kim once and that was a disaster. He was pulling off a light brown mullet at the time and always wore a condescending smirk that the women seemed to love. All but me, of course. When one of my patients fell off the deep end and later, jumped off the roof of their apartment building the male dared to blame me. I nearly threw hands with a guy that got a perfect score at the police academy for hand to hand combat. It didn’t help that he was also a head taller than me. Trust me, I was so close to dragging him by his outdated hair.</p><p>I took a glance at Eun-jung and the teen, making sure that they were okay before I decided to go out and check the scene. The young girl was curled up on the couch in a pink knitted blanket while my neighbor was quietly speaking to someone on the phone. The kettle was situated on the stove to boil more water for tea. With both being busy doing other things, I slipped out. </p><p>The rain had become a drizzle but the wind had picked up exponentially, causing leaves and bits of branches to fly by. I managed to shuffle my way to the sidewalk without getting hit by debris, pulling my tan colored sweater closer in hopes of keeping what little warmth I had left. The nice breeze from earlier was gone as was what little warmth the sun was giving off through the clouds. My usual jogging leggings were doing little good to fight off the winds and my black Nikes were completely soaked. Which in turn meant that my socks were clinging to my toes and squelching with every step. I used the paw of my sweater to shield my face from the onslaught of rain.</p><p>Just as expected, there was nothing left behind but the white heel. It had been moved from the middle of the street to the gutter by the constantly changing winds. I didn’t even think about touching it, taking a quick look around to see if anyone else had stepped out of their shelter. The streets were empty of people and I took this as my sign to get the hell back inside and away from whatever the fuck just happened.</p><p>Eun-jung was just starting to position the tea set once more, handing cookie after cookie to the girl seated on the couch. I didn’t question who she called while I was outside, immediately assuming that she had managed to persuade the teen to give a guardian's phone number. No one spoke as we settled down to drink the tea that nana had so kindly made.</p><p>Jennie, who I just learned the name of from my lovely neighbor, had apparently been visiting the Victorian house for several months now. She talked about how it called to her, pulling the young girl back into its clutches every time she managed to get away. Much like the last victim I questioned, she couldn’t remember anything past stepping into the home. I wanted to ask so much more but the shrill ringing of the doorbell stopped my train of thought and caused the girl to immediately hide back into the bundle of blankets we had draped over her.</p><p>I was quick to get off the navy blue couch, nudging Eun-jung to sit back down and relax. The doorbell went off once more, much to my annoyance, and Jennie had peaked out of her cocoon, umber iris’ wide as she observed the situation.</p><p>The door opened with a slight creak, my nerves ready to take on whatever the teen's parents threw at me but I was surprised to find a man in uniform on the other side of the aluminum screen. To my displeasure, I recognized him immediately.</p><p>“Officer Kim, lovely to see you again.” Narrowed cornflower eyes landed on Eun-jung who immediately sent a cheeky wink and smile back at me. This woman was playing a dangerous game and there was no way in hell I was going to lose.</p><p>“Mrs. Park, are we no longer on first name bases?” I scoffed trying my hardest to ignore the way he leaned against the door frame, arms on full display and lips curling up into a feline-like smirk. His honey-colored hues slowly trailed down my form, taking in the way my clothes seemed to cling to my skin. At first, I assumed it was merely because of attraction but then something else flashed across his face, eyes narrowing and lips flattening together in...annoyance?</p><p>“Were you dancing in the rain, sweetheart?” I went to respond but was cut off as he gently pulled the screen door open and took my hand in his. Eyes clouding over in concern and disbelief when he felt the chilled digits. His slightly larger hands immediately engulfed my smaller ones, bringing them up to his face to blow hot air on my frozen fingertips. I kept my eyes focused on his face, cheeks flushing as his thin lips just barely brushed against my skin leaving a burning trail behind. The way he inspected my hands with such care was doing things to my heart and I could tell that I wasn’t the only one to notice his odd behavior. </p><p>Nana was softly muttering to Jennie, both of the females giggling quietly to themselves as they watched from their seats. Remember when I said that I’ve only met the officer once. Well, that was a lie. One blind date. That’s all it was. One date that led to a collection of shared kisses and nothing more. We never met again after that, I assumed he forgot my phone number or got bored. It’s happened before; people getting bored of me, so honestly, I didn’t take it to heart. However, Eun-jung and my friends definitely did. Sunmi wanted to jump the guy and Chungha was ready to bury the body. Nana just wanted me to be happy.</p><p>“I wasn’t dancing in the rain. I’m not stupid, Hongjoong.” His mouth, which had been placing light kisses to the pads of my fingertips, stopped. Honeydew eyes looking down to make direct eye contact with my cornflower ones. Those peach-colored lips curling up into a trouble-free smile when the small connection caused more heat to rise to my already flushed cheeks. Good god, why was he so effortlessly attractive. </p><p>There was another strong gust of wind that pushed his newly dyed hair around. The once light brown locks had been cut and changed to an intense royal blue, something that was so eye-catching that I’m surprised it took me so long to notice. </p><p>“By the way, love the hair. However, I’m not sure how you managed to keep it with your job.”</p><p>“They only allowed it this one time. I had to go undercover a little while back and needed to blend in with the teens. Apparently, strange hair color is the first step to being accepted and it kinda just grew on me.” I hummed in agreement. It was definitely a good look for him.</p><p>Someone sneezed in the background and almost on instinct, I pulled away from his grasp, turning a blind eye to how cozy we had become in a matter of seconds. My form stepped aside, ushering the slightly younger male inside the warm home. The 21-year-old 5’7 officer slipped past me easily, hand brushing against my side in what seemed like a comforting gesture but could’ve easily been considered an accident. I held my left hand close to my chest, my right reaching up to caress the bandage covering the insistent tattoo that refused to cold down. I could only imagine how bright it was glowing underneath the fabric.</p><p>The odd tattoo had been acting up since I first got it. At first, it was just random heating spells, something I brushed aside as an infection or rash. But two years ago, after stepping into this town, it got worse. Not only had the temperature increased, but it had started to glow randomly. It had gotten so bad that I had no choice but to tell my friends about it. They didn’t laugh or joke like I expected, instead of helping find ways to cover up the unnaturalness of it all. And since then, they’ve had my back when someone asked too many questions or tried to get a peak.</p><p>“Minyoung?” My name slipped out as a soft melody. One that held so much emotion it was hard to decipher which was the strongest. Something that was so uniquely Eun-jung.</p><p>I let out a soft hum, shifting my gaze to the sky blue eyes that regarded my fallen expression with worry. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and causing wrinkles to form on her forehead. My light pink fingertips reached out to soothe the creases in her skin, much like how I used to do with my grandmother before her passing.</p><p>The rain was starting to slip through the holes in the aluminum once more, Something I would've taken notice of before if I wasn’t so lost in my head. I moved my gaze to the duo on the couch. Jennie looked absolutely terrified, quietly whispering to Hongjoong through the layers of blankets. Her eyes pleading for one of us to take her place. </p><p> </p><p>Nana had shuffled past me to close both doors, before nudging my stiff form to the young teen. Sharp cat-like eyes watched my every movement as I situated myself next to the brunette, one of her hands immediately reaching out to grab mine. I ignored the expression he made when I shifted my body to look directly at Jennie, avoiding looking in his direction in general. I wasn’t about to get distracted by his good looks and charm. That time has long since passed.</p><p>“I- I got a letter. No, an invitation. It looked so fancy compared to the other ones I’ve gotten and something told me that I HAD to go.” I gently squeezed her hand in mine, reminding the teen that she was doing so well.</p><p>A slightly higher pitched male’s voice jumped in, catching my attention and causing a slight shiver to run down my spine. I could still remember how he groaned my name in between breathless kisses, medium-sized warm hands slipping underneath my...his silk shirt and slowly trailing up. Hot breath caressing my chest as he bit down on the thin fabric to undo the first button...“And your family?” I quietly cleared my throat, diverting my attention to the way that jennies turquoise nails clashed against my baby pink ones.</p><p>“Vacation. I refused to leave because my girlfriends are here. My family didn’t fight my choice to stay because we got into an argument beforehand. They weren't very keen on the idea of me being in a polyamory relationship.” A low hum resonated from deep within his chest, the sound being something akin to a growl that a beast would make when they’ve found something they like. I looked up when I shouldn’t have. His pink tongue peeked out for a split second to moisten his dry lips, my eyes following the action subconsciously and leaving my hands shaking in anticipation. A soft squeeze brought me back, my blue iris’ snapping up only to make direct eye contact with the demon himself. His honey hues held so much promise that I refused to allow myself to indulge in again.</p><p>What is wrong with me?</p><p>I transferred my heated gaze to Jennie, softening the expression and sending her a gentle smile that she was quick to return. Seeing as Hongjoong was in his own little world, I asked the next question. “Do you have a way of getting home?” She shook her head, tangled brown locks bouncing with every movement. I could tell that she was exhausted, long eyelashes fluttering against flushed cheeks, and just barely managing to stay open. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who took notice of her tired state. A sigh slipping past the only male occupant's lips.</p><p>“Alright, let's get you home.” Jennie slowly pushed herself up, her hand still held loosely in mine. Eun-jung, who had been nibbling on cookies in the kitchen, followed us out. The rain had stopped at some point but the wind remained. I tugged the teen girl into my side, ushering her into the police car parked out front. I slowly closed the door, making sure that Jennie was okay to be by herself. What I wasn’t expecting was for the man I had been low-key lusting over to be standing directly behind me. The faintest hint of freshly sliced apples and cinnamon hitting my senses the second I spun around to leave.</p><p>He was so close… too close. I could feel the heat rising off his body, engulfing my form like a hug. My mind was screaming at me to look up, to take in as much as I could before he left once more. After all, no one ever stays long.</p><p>Soft hands gently grasped the side of my neck, coercing my body to fall prey to his advances. My inked marking, which lay right below the palm of his hand, seemed to burn in response. I finally allowed myself to look up, trying my hardest to ignore the way his eyes held nothing but pure admiration. I was reminded of wooyoung. The boy that was literally almost 5 years younger than me. He didn’t seem to realize that he had someone in the world made for him who was his age and could keep up with his optimism. A person that wasn’t me. Hongjoong had that same exact look. So, I did the only thing I could to get out of that situation.</p><p>With a quick side set, I slipped past his form. A small whimper nearly escaping my lips as his warmth faded, leaving nothing but the bitter cold. I made my way to the porch, spinning around to give the male a farewell. His hand was still where I left it, the appendage clenched and his blue locks falling past those eyes I used to dream about but were now nothing more than a mere memory. </p><p>“It was lovely seeing you again, officer Kim.” Eun-jung nudged my side, blue eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe that I was rejecting him. She didn’t understand that I was doing this to save him the pain and annoyance that I went through when he never called back. I knew that if we tried again, I would unknowingly act petty. A trait I was never able to get over.</p><p>In reality, He should’ve expected my reaction. Ignoring my messages and making me believe that he had given a fake phone number. As much as I said otherwise to my friends, I actually really liked our first date and was genuinely excited to go on a second with the bachelor. But like I said before, it never happened. Maybe that's why I’m so against testing the waters with wooyoung. I’m afraid that he’ll realize after the first date that I’m nothing special, just as Hongjoong had.</p><p>“Likewise, Mrs.Park.” His voice sounded rough compared to how he spoke to me before. It hurt… But I continued to tell myself that it was for the best. He disappeared into his car, sending one last look my way that I chose to ignore. Nothing good would come out of the relationship between me and the officer. I knew this and I’m quite sure that he did too. So, when he finally left without another word, I pushed the couple moments we had to the back of my mind. There was no point in dwelling in the past.</p><p>Eun-jung was still trying to figure out what happened. Blue eyes dancing from my form to where the police car once was. I would’ve commented on it but something else caught my attention. The sound of sunmi’s ringtone going off in the distance. That girl hated calling unless it was an emergency.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm so sorry that it took so long to get this out. I've been super busy trying to talk to my college advisors to change some things for my degree but I keep being brushed aside for more important business. It's been a frustrating couple of days. Anyways, this isn't my favorite chapter but I was super excited to throw our favorite ateez leader into the story. I hope you really enjoy this~ Also I'm going to start writing Min Young as minyoung because my computer keeps changing it anyways and it'll make it a bit easier to revise and edit later.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Weird encounters and golden eyes (Edited)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minyoung gets an unsettling video message from sunmi and finds herself searching for answers.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strengths.” -Corrie Ten Boom</p><p>I pressed pause for what felt like the thousandth time, eyes tiredly taking in sunmi’s frozen expression and surroundings. When she had called me earlier I failed to pick up, still momentarily stunned by how “eventful” today had been. Plus, my phone was still on my porch across the street soaked from the rain and on its last 5 percent. I had just barely placed it on the charger when the next message came in, this one being a recorded video. This recording alone had every nerve in my body on edge. I anxiously called her over and over again hoping that she would pick up and call me a worry wart like she usually did but I got nothing. I finally decided to give up and wait. Chungha had called soon after, her voice wavering as she told me that sunmi had slipped in the girl's bathroom at the high school. She was knocked unconscious and the hospital was only allowing one visitor until she was conscious enough to answer questions.</p><p>So, here I was...Waiting for a call to inform me that my blonde-haired friend was sassing the doctor or complaining about the hospital food, something only sunmi would do. This had sadly been going on for hours now. It was currently 6 o’clock and the message had come in at noon. I was left alone to my thoughts and the cryptic video that sunmi deemed important enough to tell me seconds before her attack.</p><p>My finger hovered over the play button, contemplating if it was worth it to keep going. I had memorized every twitch, raised eyebrow, and wrinkle as if it was second nature. Looking at it from the point of view of a psychologist and not a close friend. With a sigh of weariness, I restarted the video.</p><p>Her face was incredibly close to the camera, head turning to look at something behind that I couldn't see from my angle. “Alright, I’m going to be completely straightforward with you. We haven’t been the most honest people, me and chungha. We just-” Sunmi stumbled across something, her phone tumbling to the tiled floors of the high school. The hallways were completely barren of people, the large glass doors to the cafeteria opened wide behind my frantic friend. I wasn’t able to see much else because a second later the phone was being picked up again. Her onyx eyes were wide and seem to have a gloss over them as if she was seconds from having a mental breakdown. “We just wanted to protect you, dammit! There’s so much shit going on in this town and you are like this huge beacon, a blinding light that attracts all things dark and demented. I wanted to tell you. I mean it’s your fate! You should know but-” There was a loud banging in the background, several blue locker doors flying open as my friend ran past.</p><p>Sunmi pushed a door open and slipped into what seemed to be the girl's bathroom, locking the door behind her. She rushed towards the last stall and quietly closed the creaking door. For a second, all was silent. I couldn’t hear a thing but apparently, sunmi could, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked off in the distance.</p><p>I wasn’t even sure what the hell was going on anymore.</p><p>My friend must’ve deemed the area safe for the time being and shifted her attention back to the camera. “We WILL talk about this later but whatever you do, DON'T tell chungha what I'm telling you now and what I plan on telling you later! I know you two are close as hell and always have been but please, just this once, listen to me. She cannot know about this message. Delete it! She's not-" The camera did a full 360 before hitting the ground, my screen going completely black. From this point on, it was purely audio.</p><p>A low growl left my speaker, my lips pursing when I still failed to remember where I had heard it. The hideous rumbling noise continued to echo in my mind even after the video had finished. However, the second higher-pitched screech was not something I had heard before. It resembled an animal known as the screeching owl, which was a bad sign all on its own. Spotting or even hearing said creature meant that you're about to get a call about someone’s death. Imagine how I felt when chungha had contacted me soon after to tell me that sunmi was in the hospital. I was mortified.</p><p>The video cut off, the final sounds being a feminine yelp followed by a collection of bangs and crashes.</p><p>If I was to go the logical route, I would say that some students tried to pull a prank that went terribly wrong. I mean, everyone in the high school knew that Sunmi got a bit jumpy the second that shit started moving or making noises. My second thought was that she had seen a bug or rat, slipped on the wet floors of the bathroom, and knocked herself out. Maybe the weird animalistic noises were her phone sliding across the tiled floor. There had to be a more realistic answer than “my friend was targeted by a demonic presence that decided to toss her around the girl's bathroom.” Demons and monsters aren’t real. I’ve said it many times, as has almost every scientist on the planet. My friend slipped, that’s it.</p><p>I shoved my phone away from me, trying to create a noise similar to the one heard on the video. The scraping noise it made as it slid across the granite counter did sound strikingly alike to the screech that I had been thinking about for hours but not 100 percent. However, this was close enough to calm my thoughts partially. I mentally chastised myself for thinking something darker and more menacing. See, just as I said before. There’s always a logical reason for everything, including supernatural, demonic shrieking. My thoughts were cut off by a vibration followed by a voice I recognized immediately.</p><p>“Hello, my lovely friend. I’m currently-”</p><p>I snatched the phone off the table and slammed the green button with more force than necessary. “Yes?! Is she okay? Did she die? More importantly, was I added to her will?”</p><p>The smooth voice on the other end had my shoulders slumping in relief. If chungha was stable enough to talk without her voice cracking then everything must be alright. “Yes, she is okay. No, she did not die nor will she be dying anytime soon. Also, What is wrong with you? Asking a question like that! And finally, why would sunmi add you to her will? You aren’t our child, even if you may act like a brat most of the time.”</p><p>Ahhh… I didn’t miss this side of my brunette friend. Always ready to burn anyone in her vicinity.</p><p>I scoffed at her snarky comment, already moving around the house to grab my things for the hospital visit. “Why must you be so cruel, chunnie.” Her forbidden nickname slipped out on purpose, my mind searching for some kind of normalcy after being stuck on a constant reply for hours. Raw bitten lips curled up in amusement when she went off, her English spilling through the speaker at a rapid speed. Chungha didn’t jump languages very often, feeling most comfortable in her native tongue. So, hearing it was slightly reminiscent of our university days when most of the things she said in my direction were snide comments. If you haven't caught on yet, I and chungha didn’t get along at first.</p><p>“so...Is that a come-over or stay the hell away? Honestly, sometimes you just gotta be straightforward. I can’t read your mind.”</p><p>She huffed on the other end, muttering things under her breath before answering. “Get your butt over here and you better bring me a coffee. I'm exhausted. Some of the staff looked sketchy so I didn’t feel comfortable leaving sunmi alone.”</p><p>I couldn’t help but sympathize with the grade school teacher. It was at moments like this that I realized just how stressful being in a relationship was. When I had first met Chungha, she never had anything to worry about. The perfect student in everyone’s eyes. It was only after meeting and dating her girlfriend that the anxiety started to kick in.</p><p>Sunmi was reckless and clumsy. Constantly showing up with new bandages and stories about how she had taken down some biker dude that tried to hit on her. I'm pretty sure that half the student body thought that the girl was just trying to make a fashion statement and that the bandages were just for show. However, as the person who had to keep restocking their first aid kit, I can tell you 100 percent that it was very real. Having a girlfriend as independent as Sunmi makes life a bit more interesting, positively, and negatively.</p><p>“I got you. Give me 30 minutes and text me the room number. We both know that if you tell me now, I won’t remember.” We said our farewells, chungha’s sounding more like a threat with her lack of caffeine and sleep. It was only after I made it to Starbucks and saw the line, that I regretted giving her a specific time. </p><p>By the time I arrived at the hospital, my legs were practically speed walking towards the elevator. Cursing every person that decided that 6 o’clock was the perfect hour to go on a scenic drive. Who does that?! They might as well sign my death warrant while at it! Chungha was literally going to maul me. She probably already has the door booby-trapped and a window open to get rid of the body.</p><p>I just barely managed to dodge a tall blonde doctor blocking the elevator exit, my slightly wet black vans squeaking against the off-white tile floors. He seemed to be in just as much of a rush as I was, his coat flaps billowing behind him as he quickly stepped into the metal box. The apology that slipped past my lips probably didn’t sound as sincere as I hoped but I forced myself to continue. Had I looked back, I would’ve caught the dirty look he sent my way as the doors shut. </p><p>304…</p><p>304…</p><p>Come on! How hard could it be to find one fucking room!</p><p>I turned down another hallway, the Starbucks cups in my hand just barely surviving my corner drifting. 302...303...employee closet…Ha! Room 304.</p><p>The door was already open, an older male doctor standing at the end of sunmi’s bed. He looked sketchy as hell. It's no wonder Chungha refused to leave the blonde's side. His voice was raspy and sounded as if it hadn’t been used in years, however, this could also be because he was definitely up in age. I wouldn’t usually assume this but the bits of grey that peaked past the black locks were kind of a dead giveaway. The sides were shaved clean much like you would expect from someone who had been in the military beforehand and his posture was perfect but stiff, probably from years of experience. I slipped into the room, gently rapping my knuckles against the wooden entrance whilst also balancing the Starbucks bag on my hip. The drinks had been sealed with one of those little white stickers for travel but that didn’t mean that they could handle being dropped if I decided to be clumsy.</p><p>I pretended not to hear my name in the conversation they were having with the older man. Something about this situation seemed dangerous as if one wrong move could lead to someone actually being thrown out of the window. Sunmi looked seconds away from launching herself at the elder, her hands visibly shaking against the white sheets. I flinched away slightly when the blonde in the bed let a low rumble from her chest, similar to that of a growling cat. Even the doctor seemed shocked. Chungha took this moment of surprise to jump in, Quickly standing up and sending the doctor a glare that could’ve sent him straight to hell. Luckily, he took his leave, dark mahogany eyes catching mine as he slipped past. I wanted to ignore the eye contact but something about his expression had me on edge.</p><p>I needed to understand why everything was going on, seeing as my friends were being uncooperative and keeping quiet. He seemed to know something and I wasn’t about to let that opportunity just pass me by...</p><p>My eyes followed his every movement as he shuffled down the hallway and to the elevator, his tall form slipping into the confined space and hitting a button. The first floor light came on above the door. His gaze met mine once more. Dark mahogany hues filled with nothing but Despair as if to tell me that my fate was already confirmed. Just before the doors closed his badge glinted in the light, Kangjeon. At least now I had a name. I placed the Starbucks bag down on the table next to the door, blues eyes darting towards the sign that read stairs with a cute little picture next to it.</p><p>Chungha easily caught on to my plan, not that I was surprised. She always seemed to be able to read my mind even before I knew what I wanted to do. My name had just barely slipped out, a clear warning in her tone. But I was already gone, mindset on finding that man and figuring out the secret he wanted to tell. No one questioned why I was speed walking down the hallway, several nurses continuing with their day, and even a couple of patients. I pushed the door to the staircase and felt my heart beat in anticipation. However, One look at the stairs was all it took for my mind to fill with doubts and legs to start aching.</p><p>Time to be spontaneous.</p><p>I recklessly pulled a university dormitory move when the elevator wasn’t working and slid down the banister, praying that I didn’t flip back like I did in my second semester. God, that was a disaster. My mom looked almost proud when she found me in the hospital with just a sprained wrist and dislocated shoulder…</p><p>The distance between me and the first floor was decreasing rapidly. You got this, just don’t forget to bend your knees. I stumbled on the landing, just barely managing to steady myself on the banister. I forced my body to continue even with the burning sensation in my left ankle. Chungha was going to hardcore mom me after this.</p><p>Just as I slipped through the door, the elevator opened. But he didn’t step out. Two nurses quickly rushed their way out of the metal box, but the older man did not follow. He was gone entirely.</p><p>Logically speaking, No one just disappears.</p><p>My last chance to find any answers was at the front desk. Sadly, The red-haired receptionist didn’t have much for me either, sending me an odd expression when I brought up his last name. She looked almost scared, Caramel hues widening as she muttered something to the women next to her. Both were adamant about keeping their lips sealed but they did tell me where I could get some answers.</p><p>I begrudgingly made my way back to sunmi’s room, preparing myself for the famous “chungha lecture”. Not even her blonde haired girlfriend could save me from the Kim’s wrath. I slipped into the elevator and slowly went up each floor, before finally reaching the third with a loud ding. </p><p>Room 304 glared back at me from the end of the hallway. My cornflower hues locked on a blonde male standing in the doorway, saying something to my friends before closing the door and walking my way. I cursed my luck as he got closer, this guy was not only an eye-catcher but also the doctor I almost bulldozed when first arriving. His blonde hair was split straight down the middle, reaching a bit past his ears, and seemed to be slightly longer in the back then normally done for males but it looked good against his ivory skin. I tried to avoid the mysterious stranger's gaze, tilting my head down so that black locks of hair blocked my face. However, this did little good at keeping my identity a secret.</p><p> </p><p>Almond-shaped eyes lined with thick light brown lashes, clashed with mine for just a second. And within that one frozen moment in time, I was reminded of autumn colors and shades of fallen leaves. His hues were the loveliest mix of gold and caramel I had ever seen but behind the beauty was pure animosity towards the person he was staring at. Which just so happened to be little-ole me…</p><p>We didn’t interact with the other, simply walking past as if the split-second stare down had never happened. I subconsciously rubbed at my bandage, seeking some kind of comfort or heat after that oddly chilling encounter. My feet continued forward even when I could feel the burning gaze on my hand resting against my neck. I needed to get out of his sights even if it’s just for a second.</p><p>Without even thinking about the consequences, I pushed the door open.</p><p>Maybe, it was instinct or just luck but moments after stepping into the room I froze, a large box of tissues flew past my face and into the hallway. One of the nurses passing by let out an audible squeal at the projectile.</p><p>“I swear to the pomeranian god’s that I will hunt you down and-!” Sunmi’s shrill voice stopped as I poked my head past the piece of fabric closest to the door, making sure to nudge the piece of wood shut behind me. The Starbucks bag was no longer on the table so I assumed Chungha had grabbed it. The blonde’s face resembled an overly ripe strawberry, eyes narrowed into slits at whoever had gotten her all riled up. Which wasn’t that hard to do.</p><p>I sat down on the chair on the opposite side of the bed from our brunette friend, her cat-like eyes nearly gone with how narrowed she had them, and waited for the onslaught of attacks from the duo. This was probably the best decision I had ever made. Let’s just say that the next few minutes were full of lectures, complaining, and shit-talking about the doctor who had apparently quite a lot to say to our dear Sunmi. By the way, the doctor we were talking about was not the first older man but the younger one. The blonde reincarnation of hate that I had the pleasure of running into while making my way back to her room. He had come in to check on my dear friend moments after my departure and was incredibly honest about her recklessness and clumsiness. Brutally honest. </p><p>They went on a bit longer, before deciding to let me go with a warning. Sometimes I wondered if I was considered a student in their eyes with how much trouble I got into on the daily. My gaze jumped from the brunette to the blonde as they went back and forth on who they disliked more in this town. When Hongjoong's name came up, I decided to take my leave. The library that the nurses had recommended had an early closing time today due to the increase in criminal activity in the area. If I left now, there would still be enough time to get there and leave. Easy, peasy.</p><p>I was very wrong. Leaving the hospital seemed like an easy task when I thought about it in the confines and safety of Sunmi’s room. But it wasn't. The beautifully angry man just kept popping up and it took me 10 minutes to gain the courage to walk past him towards the front doors. His gaze was burned into the back of my mind for good.</p><p>Driving to the center of town where the library was was chaos. It wasn’t the traffic or stoplights that made it a difficult journey but the people. Citizens were literally trying to get hit by jumping in front of cars! Why were they so… irresponsible?!</p><p>Anyways, the public library was empty when I arrived, thank god. My only company being an elderly man napping at the front desk, a Pittsburgh Steelers ball cap covering most of his face and legs resting on top of the table. I almost assumed that it was a mannequin with how quiet and motionless he was.</p><p>Looks like I won’t be asking for help after all.</p><p>The public building had two floors, both of which had a plush blue couch seating area with a glass table full of books people were too lazy to put back themselves. The first and main level was mainly for kids and young teens, covered from top to bottom in colorful books in all shapes and sizes. The second was the complete opposite. The shelves had very little color and the books seemed to all be around the same general size and thickness. Towards the back is where the content I was searching for happened to be.</p><p>When I had spoken to the two nurses they had given me a location but not a title or author. The shelves were covered in information, from books to laminated single documents. It was slightly nerve-wracking to see the number of records and reports they were allowing the public to look at without any kind of identification. There was so much to go through and so little time. Luckily for me, the shelves did have some kind of order. Each ledge had a printed label, one of which was tagged hospital history. It was odd. Most cities didn’t even give that kind of information out willingly, yet, this place had it on a shelf in a public library.</p><p>I tried not to think too much into it, quickly swiping a random book and flipping through the pages. There was any specific reason why I chose this specific one, I just had a gut feeling that what I was looking for would be inside. The old leather journal I had grabbed was well preserved. The pages were thin and the pictures within weren’t even printed on the sheets, Just barely holding on by a piece of old tape. Most of the portraits were black and white polaroids. The person who originally had this book wrote in fluent English, the cursive looking far too perfect against the old pages. I found this strange because most of the people here couldn’t even speak English nonetheless read or write in it. They spoke about patients and the different symptoms they had and how he or she could treat them. There wasn’t a year written down but I could easily tell that it was quite old by the type of clothing they wore in the polaroids. All of which was incredibly bland and far too prudish for the women of our age.</p><p>I continued to flip through the pages, completely dismissing the presence of a tall brunette man down the aisle, his eyes narrowed at the book in my hand. My fingers were starting to shake as I reached a certain section of the journal towards the back. Something told me that the answers were only a couple of pages away. I don't know how I know, I just do. A couple of pages quickly became 4 before reaching the back cover…</p><p>Then 3.</p><p>2...</p><p>1...</p><p>The page slowly flipped to my destination and I finally understood why the nurse was so confused and scared when I mentioned the doctor's sir name. In the picture, his eyes didn’t have the mahogany color but I could still tell that it was him by the shape of his face and the subtle scar above his right eyebrow. My blue eyes slowly trailed to a small description written under the picture of him holding a child. </p><p>Doctor Kangjeon delivered a baby today. It was a miracle that the little one made it out alright after everything that had happened to the mother. When the young women had stumbled into the hospital, I had nearly coughed up my drink with how battered and broken she looked. There wasn’t a sliver of skin that had been untouched by her abuser's hands. It was sad to watch her give birth alone, only being able to give her my hand as support but it was even worse to have her send me away while refusing to look at the child in my arms. The baby girl's eyes were the brightest shade of blue I've ever seen, it was almost like I was looking at a carbon copy of the birth mother. We are supposed to keep an eye on the child until we can get authorities in here to deal with the situation at hand. I’m contemplating dropping my entire job to take care of her. Is this why we aren’t allowed to get close to the little ones who are left by the parents? Are they afraid we’ll become attached? Anyways, If we are given the opportunity I think I’m going to name her. She won’t be able to leave the states with the current investigation so I might as well name her something the locals would be able to pronounce. How does Eun-Jung sound?</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. It's been done</h2></a>
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    <p>Alright~!</p><p>For those who have actually been waiting, I've finally finished editing the chapters. Please reread them because so much has changed and a lot was added to the original plot. Seeing as I have so much planned, this may end up being a two book series. However, this all depends if your interested in the idea. With everything going on in the plot, I didn't feel comfortable putting a lot of super intimate moments with the ateez group. But~ I do want to make the second book about how their relationship would work and maybe even put some possible smut if I'm feeling up for it. Thank you for being so patient with me.</p>
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